Parliament lifts immunity of four Golden Dawn MPs
Greek Parliament on Wednesday voted to lift the immunity of four Golden Dawn deputies. Immunity was lifted for Eleni Zaroulia, Ilias Kasidiaris, Ilias Panayiotaros and Stathis Boukouras. Immunity was also lifted for Independent Greeks deputy Vassilis Kapernaros, while a similar request for SYRIZA MP Maria Diakaki was rejected.
Taking part in the vote on Wednesday were 236 MPs, with 235 voting in favor of lifting immunity for Zaroulia,Panayiotaros and Boukouras and 234 deputies voting in favor of lifting immunity for Kasidiaris.
Zaroulia is facing charges for allegedly carrying a bullet inside her bag during a visit to her husband and Golden Dawn party chief Nikos Michaloliakos, currently in pre-trial custody at Korydallos Prison along with second-in-command Christos Pappas. Kasidiaris, Boukouras and Panayiotaros are being charged for rioting.
Tensions rose when the ultra nationalist Golden Dawn MPs walked out of the session in protest to House Speaker Christos Markogiannakis not calling out the names of Michaloliakos and Pappas during the voting procedure.
Markogiannakis argued that the names of the imprisoned Golden Dawn deputies were announced during a second reading of the MPs list.
