State surveillance and court cases: The lonely fight for press freedom of Greece’s independent media
by Alessio Giussani
Part 2 - Greek 'mafia' and 'Watergate'
Athens-based investigative outlet Reporters United disclosed in January that a high-ranking police officer had been promoted while being investigated in a corruption case called “Greek Mafia” – something journalists in the field had known for a long time, Leontopoulos claimed.
It was not the only time a major story remained unreported for months.
It was not the only time a major story remained unreported for months.
At the beginning of 2022, Reporters United revealed that a controversial change in the law on the privacy of communications had been made nine months earlier. The amendment, introduced last minute into a pandemic containment bill, prevented citizens from being informed if they had been placed under state surveillance for national security reasons. At the time, the wiretapping scandal that later became known as “Greek Watergate” was yet to emerge.
“Many jurists and well-networked journalists had known about the amendment for months, and we found out some had even informally protested with the government. But no one broke the story to the public”, Leontopoulos told Euronews.
Giorgos Karaivaz, a senior reporter investigating police corruption, was also shot dead in front of his house in Athens in April 2020. Almost two years later, investigations into the murder have made little progress.
“Many jurists and well-networked journalists had known about the amendment for months, and we found out some had even informally protested with the government. But no one broke the story to the public”, Leontopoulos told Euronews.
Giorgos Karaivaz, a senior reporter investigating police corruption, was also shot dead in front of his house in Athens in April 2020. Almost two years later, investigations into the murder have made little progress.
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