Ilias Kasidiaris, a leading figure of the far-right Golden Dawn party, was released from Domokos Prison on September 15 after serving his sentence for directing a criminal organization. The former lawmaker was convicted in October 2020 over his role at the top of Golden Dawn, a party courts found had operated as a criminal enterprise.
Supporters gathered outside the prison from early morning, responding to an online call to mark the release. Many wore T-shirts reading “antisystem” and held banners declaring “your nightmare has returned.” As Kasidiaris stepped through the prison’s exit gate, the crowd erupted in applause.
“I gave my word that once I walked through that door, I would return not only to freedom but to the front line of national struggles,” Kasidiaris told supporters. “A new, strong national party stands with me, like those now dominant across Europe. I see politicians fretting, scheming, saying I should be allowed to return. That is not their decision to make. In a democracy, there is only one judge: the sovereign people.”
Shortly before his release, his lawyer, Vasso Pantazi, told reporters his return to the political arena should be considered a certainty. She said the defense is seeking a legal and political formula to circumvent the institutional barriers imposed by a 2023 legislative amendment targeting convicted leaders of criminal organizations.
Kasidiaris’s release, paired with the announcement of his political comeback, has unsettled the political establishment and revived a pressing question: can he reclaim a seat in parliament, and how? He has already declared he is returning “with full political rights.”
