Far-right EU lawmaker in Greek court for Golden Dawn trial

A member of the European Parliament has appeared in court in Greece after being convicted last week of being a leading member in a criminal organisation along with members of the extreme-right Golden Dawn party. Ioannis Lagos, who faces up to 15 years in prison, travelled from Brussels to Athens to attend the sentencing hearings on Monday. He made a formal request that the three judges trying the case be replaced. “I believe that there is a prevailing bias against the defendants and that the judges involved in the case came under direct and indirect pressure from the political establishment,” Lagos told the court. Lagos and 17 other former Greek parliament members from Golden Dawn were convicted last week of leading a criminal organisation, or simple membership in one, and face sentences of between five and 15 years in prison. Dozens of other Golden Dawn members and associates were also convicted of numerous offences, from murder and violent assaults against immigrants to perjury. style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">