GD victims want to seek damages from politicians
The lawyer representing a group of Egyptian fishermen who were assaulted by members of Golden Dawn in the summer of 2012 on Thursday told a court hearing the criminal trial of dozens of members and lawmakers of the neofascist party that they should also be able to sue GD’s political leadership for damages as civil claimants.
Addressing the makeshift court at Attica’s high-security Korydallos Prison, where many of the defendants are being detained, prosecution lawyers emphasized Thursday that it is not only those accused of the actual assault that should be taken to task but political cadres too who have been implicated in the party’s illicit activities.
“What logic prevents the victims… from taking issue with the leadership?” Eleni Zafiriou, the Egyptian fishermen’s lawyer asked the court.
Zafiriou added that the political leadership wanted to avoid civil claims in a bid to dissociate themselves from the string of crimes that have been linked to the party.
The court is to readjourn on Monday and judges will consider lawyers’ requests for the right to claim damages as civil claimants.
Two GD MPs, Grigoris Germenis and Panayiotis Iliopoulos, are set to be released from prison on July 11, when the maximum period of 18 months in pretrial custody is to expire.
