Former Greece neo-Nazi party member extradited to serve prison sentence News
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Former Greece neo-Nazi party member extradited to serve prison sentence

Former Greek Golden Dawn party and European Parliament member, Ioannis Lagos, was extradited Saturday from Brussels to Athens to serve a 13-year prison sentence.

Lagos was accused of committing several hate crimes during his time as a Golden Dawn member, a Greek party known for its neo-Nazi political views. In October, a Greek court convicted Lagos and six other Golden Dawn members, sentencing them to a 13-year prison term. However, Lagos evaded arrest by fleeing to Brussels and claiming immunity.

Intent on seeking justice, the European Parliament overwhelmingly voted last month to strip Lagos of his immunity, which allowed Greek authorities to extradite Lagos. Following Lagos’ extradition, government spokesperson Aristotelia Peloni said,

Greek democracy fought and eliminated the poison of the Golden Dawn party. The rule of law stood firm against criminals, and justice gave its answer with its decisions. But no complacency is allowed. Greek authorities moved immediately and in a coordinated manner both for the issuance of the European arrest warrant and for the surrender of Ioannis Lagos in order to serve his sentence.

If Lagos serves his full sentence, he will be released in 2034.

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