ATHENS — Three prominent lawmakers of the ultraright Golden Dawn political party who were arrested Saturday on charges of belonging to a criminal organization were released pending trial Wednesday, a surprising decision that blunted the effect of a government crackdown on the party.
A fourth member of the neo-fascist party remained in custody.
After more than 17 hours of testimony before a magistrate, the party’s spokesman, Ilias Kasidiaris, and two other members of Parliament, Ilias Panagiotaros and Nikos Michos, were freed with orders not to leave the country. Kasidiaris was required to post $67,000 in bail.
In his testimony, Kasidiaris claimed that Golden Dawn members were the victims of a politically motivated persecution aimed at depriving the party of a strong showing in local elections in Greece next spring, when he is planning to run for mayor of Athens.
Kasidiaris also faces trial on charges that he assaulted two leftist members of Parliament, both women, during a television debate in June 2012, shortly before the general elections that secured his party 18 seats in Greece’s 300-member Parliament.