Eight European and international media organisations called on the Greek government on Thursday to “urgently” combat impunity for crimes against journalists and uphold press freedom.
“Murdered, surveilled and sued: decisive action needed to protect journalists and salvage press freedom in Greece”, said the headline of the report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), one of eight organisations that have been visiting Greece since Monday.
The delegation found that “Greek journalism is under sustained threat from the impact of the surveillance scandal” that broke in 2022.
That scandal, coupled with the unsolved murder of a veteran journalist in Athens in 2021 and abusive legal proceedings and economic and political pressures, has threatened media freedom, the report said.
Although the Greek authorities claim press freedom is respected and Athens supports EU positions on open journalism, the government has “done little to remedy the problems”, the coalition said.
In addition to RSF, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) participated, calling on the conservative government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis to “urgently take specific measures aimed at improving the climate for independent journalism and salvaging press freedom”.
Source: AFP