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Political storm over SYRIZA regulations that "soften" Golden Dawn sentences

Former Minister of Justice during the SYRIZA government Stavros Kontonis opened the proverbial can of worms and provoked a storm of political reactions, talking about the changes in the Penal Code that SYRIZA made when it was in government and which essentially "softens" the sentences of Golden Dawns and do not deprive them of their civil rights.

According to what Mr. Kontonis stated to ANT1, "some of these changes have to do with yesterday's decision. And concern sentences that the court will not impose. The court will not impose any penalties due to the provisions of the new Penal Code ... With the changes of the Penal Code, there is no more deprivation of civil rights and this is something that I also mentioned, having in mind the Golden Dawn trial.".

Kontonis' statements, which were accompanied by the news that he is resigning from the Central Committee and all the organs of SYRIZA, provoked an immediate and angry reaction from the parties. ND and KINAL accused Alexis Tsipras of hypocrisy in the Golden Dawn issue, after what Mr. Kontonis said.

SYRIZA counterattacked and accused ND of "speculation, vulgar lies, but also conspiracy theories by those who claim that the convicted members of Golden Dawn may fall" softly "because of the Penal Code passed under the Tsipras government." Party sources even explained that the deprivation of civil rights is an "outdated" measure.

What Kontonis said: I disagreed with several points in the new Penal Code due to Golden Dawn
After the historic decision of Greek Justice to condemn Golden Dawn as a criminal organization, Greek society is waiting for the decision of the court on the sentences that will be imposed on the party officials, Stavros Kontonis said in an interview with ANT1:

"I disagreed with several points in the new Penal Code, which is 70% a positive reform. I had expressed my disagreement and had said publicly that this legislation exposes the government (of SYRIZA), as some of its parameters have to do with decisions such as yesterday for Golden Dawn. Today I can tell you for sure, I think I am right, that some of these changes have to do with yesterday's decision. And for the penalties that the court will not impose. The court will not impose some penalties due to the provisions of the new penal code. Not only had I thought about this, but there were also relevant articles", said Mr. Kontonis.

The former Minister of Justice of SYRIZA stressed that when the discussion on the changes in the Penal Code took place, he had expressed his disagreement with his party. "The criminal treatment of the leader of the criminal organization is the same as that of the member and I consider this problematic. With the changes in the Penal Code, there is no more deprivation of civil rights and this is something I also mentioned, having in mind the Golden Dawn trial."

Alexis Tsipras is also in the frame
In fact, Mr. Kontonis also put Alexis Tsipras in the frame, since, as he said, he informed the president of SYRIZA that he is leaving the Central Committee, as "the party, the way it is organized from now on and the policies that are drawn up are an internal party struggle which does not meet the needs of workers, the people, and society ".

New Democracy: Tsipras hypocrisy on Golden Dawn
ND fired barbs against Alexis Tsipras after the announcement of the former Minister of Justice Stavros Kontonis that he is leaving the Central Committee of SYRIZA, talking about "shocking revelations".

"The statements of the former Minister of Justice of the SYRIZA government, S. Kontonis, prove the blatant cynicism and bottomless hypocrisy of Mr. Tsipras", ND noted and continued: while as prime minister he took care to land softly. "From today's revelation, many things are explained, and mainly why this case became stuck during his term of office".

KINAL: Major issue for the SYRIZA leadership
KINAL's comment on the statements of the former Minister of Justice Stavros Kontonis was in high tones, with the party talking about a major political and moral issue for the SYRIZA leadership.

KINAL 's comment after Kontoni' s statements:
"Today's statements by Mr. Kontonis create a major political and moral issue for the SYRIZA leadership. It appears from his statements that the changes made to the penal code by the SYRIZA Government, with the consent of Mr. Tsipras, lead to the non-deprivation of its political rights of the leadership of the Golden Dawn criminal organization.In fact, given that Mr. Kontonis states that he had pointed it out, it appears that the choice of these unacceptable changes was completely conscious. That is why they are accountable. "

SYRIZA: Speculation and vulgar lies
SYRIZA accuses those who claim that the convicted members of Golden Dawn may fall "softly" due to the Penal Code that was passed during the Tsipras government, of speculative and vulgar lies.

"This is a modern, liberal rule of law," the party said, adding that those who accuse them "contribute to conspiracy theories and suspicion of institutions, which paves the way for the development of fascism."

SYRIZA: ND has not changed the provisions that allegedly bother it
At the same time, they note that the current government has revised the Penal Code for individual provisions, but without changing anything in what "today supposedly bothers it."

"Mr. Tsiaras himself as prime minister has publicly acknowledged the importance of the reform of the Penal Code. The new Penal Code that was passed in 2019 was drafted by a special law drafting committee after ten years of work and is not the work of SYRIZA executives, but of top professors, judges, lawyers, etc. in the country. The rationalization of penalties under the new code is based on the recommendations of the Council of Europe. Under the old Penal Code, penalties were nominal and false. They may have been very large on paper, but in the end a smaller portion of them was served. On the contrary, with the new Penal Code, the sentences are honest, since the convicts serve most of the sentence imposed ", note SYRIZA sources.

"Deprivation of civil rights is obsolete"
Regarding the fact that according to the new Penal Code, convicted Golden Dawn are not deprived of their political rights, the official opposition emphasizes that with the previous penal code, some convicts were deprived of their political rights, depending on the length of their sentence. "This institution had been devalued in practice."The deprivation came, however, after the decision became irrevocable, after several years and after three levels of judicial judgment", they say and add that even under the old Penal Code, Golden Dawn members would continue for a long time to still have the right to vote and be elected.

Finally, in SYRIZA they emphasize that the new Penal Code provides for the institution of deprivation of public positions and public or local offices, in the event that a prison sentence is imposed. "The competent special scientific committee for the new penal code, in which top lawyers participated and worked for ten years - and not SYRIZA officials - considered the penalty of deprivation of the civil rights obsolete, since a modern, rapid criminal trial focuses on the search for criminal justice. in the imposition of the main sentence ", conclude sources of the mainopposition.

  • Published in Greece
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