Greek authorities investigating the country’s controversial far-right Golden Dawn party have asked parliament to lift the immunity from prosecution enjoyed by nine of its members so that criminal charges could be brought against them.
The nine Golden Dawn lawmakers could face charges of participating in and running a criminal organization, Reuters reports. Already nine Golden Dawn lawmakers are facing charges and six are behind bars pending trial, including the party leader Nikolaos Michaloliakos. If parliament approved lifting immunity, it would mean all 18 of the party’s legislators would have criminal charges against them.
The right-wing group, which is Greece’s third-most popular political party and seen by many as a neo-Nazi group, has faced government and judicial scrutiny since September, following the killing of an anti-fascist musician by a Golden Dawn party supporter.
The party—which had its state funding withdrawn in October—denies any wrongdoing. It has vowed to contest the upcoming local and E.U. elections in May, even if its lawmakers are jailed and its party is outlawed.
[Reuters]