![Golden Dawn party leader Nikos Michaloliakos waves as he leaves his residence in Athens, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020.A court has sentenced Michaloliakos and the leadership of Greece's extreme-right Golden Dawn party to 13 years in prison, imposing the near-maximum penalty for running a criminal organization blamed for numerous violent hate crimes. The landmark ruling follows a five-year trial of dozens of top officials, members, and supporters of the organization founded as a Neo-Nazi group in the 1980s, that rose to become Greece's third-largest political party during a major financial crisis in the previous decade. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/KHG2V4K6QTBWRTHDHETF7R6OQM.jpg?smart=true&auth=0868f7db9b64a62012edd488391740e09b90a59c074f18b5c028a444246f11e7&width=400&height=225)
Nikos Michaloliakos was convicted of running a criminal organisation and blamed for numerous violent hate crimes. AP
Nikos Michaloliakos was convicted of running a criminal organisation and blamed for numerous violent hate crimes. AP
Greek court orders Golden Dawn's neo-Nazi leaders to begin jail terms
Party chief Nikos Michaloliakos and close aides were convicted of running a criminal organisation
![The National](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Farc-authors%2Fthenational%2F9e2159fa-e4db-4215-b498-6b3607b75bee.png?smart=true&auth=cf728de2f2d93afc214682199f23d53c844677eb59567fe99abdb1c7e9f03161&width=70&height=70)
The National
22 October, 2020