Ilias Kasidhiaris, one of the most important leaders of Golden Dawn and for many years the right-hand man of leader Nikos Michaloliakos, was released today from Domokos Prison after completing his sentence for leading a criminal organization.
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The Athens Court of Appeal had sentenced him to 13 years in prison, following confirmation of the historic ruling that Golden Dawn operated as a “criminal organization under the guise of a political party.” Nikos Michaloliakos, Giannis Lagos, Christos Pappas, Giorgos Germenis, Ilias Panagiotaros and Artemis Matthaiopoulos were also convicted of the same offense.
According to his lawyer, the release became possible after Kasidhiaris served his entire sentence, in accordance with the calculation method established by the prison code. He actually spent around seven years in prison, including the period in pretrial detention, while approximately six additional years were credited through work performed while serving his sentence. In certain cases, one day of work may be counted as more than one day of imprisonment.
Kasidhiaris kept his public presence active even during his time behind bars. From Domokos Prison, he communicated with supporters through social media, videos and online broadcasts, repeatedly signaling his intention to return to politics.
His political activity was also evident in the 2023 elections, when he attempted to participate through the “Ellines” (Greeks) party. The Supreme Court barred the formation from participating, identifying Kasidhiaris as its real leader. He later backed the “Spartiates” party. In June 2025, the Special Electoral Court stripped three lawmakers from the party of their mandates, arguing that voters had been deceived and that its secret leader, as well as its real guide, was Ilias Kasidhiaris.
While in prison, he was also elected as a municipal councilor in Athens in 2023. During this period, Kasidhiaris continued to maintain contact with his supporters and warn of his return to the political scene.
Golden Dawn’s path to Parliament began forcefully in 2012, at the height of Greece’s economic and political crisis. In the June elections that year, the party won 6.92% of the vote and secured 18 parliamentary seats. In 2015, it maintained almost the same level, with around 7% of the vote and 18-19 lawmakers. In the 2019 elections, however, its result fell below the 3% threshold, leaving it outside Parliament.
The investigation into the organization took a decisive turn after the murder of antifascist musician Pavlos Fyssas in September 2013. The killing, carried out by Giorgos Roupakias, a member of the organization, was followed by a trial that lasted several years. In 2020, the court found all 18 former lawmakers in Golden Dawn’s parliamentary group guilty: seven of leading the criminal organization and 11 of being members of it.
At the second level of the trial, in March 2026, all 42 defendants who had continued with the appeal proceedings were found guilty.
The main debate now concerns the possibility of Kasidhiaris returning as a candidate. He himself has declared that he is leaving prison with “full political rights” and has announced a press conference at which he will present his plans for the future. His lawyer has stated that participation in the next elections is certain.
However, the legal aspect remains unresolved. A law passed in 2023 bars from elections those formations whose real leader has been convicted of leading or belonging to a criminal organization. Legal experts have differing interpretations of how long this restriction lasts: some are unsure whether it ends when Kasidhiaris is released from prison or continues until the formal completion of his sentence.
The final decision will once again be made by the judges of the Supreme Court’s political section. They will determine whether Kasidhiaris may lead a party, run for Parliament or be the real leader of another political formation.
This is also the issue being widely discussed by the Greek media. The newspaper “Efimerida ton Syntakton” writes that Kasidhiaris has been working for months on his return to politics and that his goal is the “institutional normalization” of his public presence. This time, according to the newspaper, he will not rely on street assault brigades, but primarily on social media and influence over part of the electorate, particularly young people.
His release, which comes just a few days before the anniversary of Pavlos Fyssas’s murder, brings back to the center of Greece’s political debate the question of whether one of Golden Dawn’s leading figures can regain a political role after completing his criminal sentence.
Kasidhiaris’s return comes just a few months before the parliamentary elections, at a time when Greek politics is more fragmented than ever. New Democracy remains the main force, but is facing major discontent. Several conservative parties and far-right formations are competing to its right.
Meanwhile, progressive and center-left parties remain divided and have not built a single clear governing alternative. Moreover, they rule out the possibility of cooperation. In this climate, Kasidhiaris aims to return by presenting himself not through Golden Dawn’s overt neo-Nazi symbolism, but with “patriotic,” anti-establishment and anti-political-elite rhetoric.
Some Greek media outlets are warning of the possibility that “history may repeat itself – as farce or as tragedy.” In 2012, Golden Dawn exploited public anger, the economic crisis and the loss of confidence in traditional parties to enter Parliament.
Today’s Greece is not in the same circumstances, but some of the factors that fueled extremism at that time are still present. Discontent, rising food, fuel and rent prices, as well as political scandals, are once again driving the search for a protest vote. The question remains whether Kasidhiaris’s return will be merely a peripheral development in politics or whether he will once again affect the balance on the right of Greece’s political landscape.
