ARCHIVES: Greece
Greek journalists called a four day strike on Thursday in protest at the government's austerity measures, leading to a nationwide news blackout, according to Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA). Television channels aired pre-recorded material, radio stations played back-to-back music and newspapers will not be published until Tuesday. Even news sites shut down for the walkout. The Athens journalists' union is demanding the rehiring of journalists recently laid off at several newspapers and TV... MORE
Posters have appeared near the parliament building in central Athens listing journalists accused of being “thugs” and “rogues” for their perceived support for the government in the current crisis. Leaflets with the names and photos of some of the journalists were also scattered in the same area, Paris-based press freedom group Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) has reported. “In an already tense and dangerous climate for all journalists, this poster and leaflet campaign is just heightening the... MORE
There have been a number of cases of police violence in Greece against journalists during the demonstrations of the past few weeks, according to Paris-based press freedom group Reporters sans Frontières (RSF). The level of violence employed by the police has been outrageous, it reported. Journalists said they were thrown to the ground and beaten, or were prevented from working by use of physical force. The police have also forced some journalists, including the Reporters Without Borders... MORE
Paris-based press freedom group Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) has condemned businessman Stavros Vitalis’ libel action against journalist Takis Michas, which an Athens court is to begin hearing on the September 17. Vitalis is suing him over an article he wrote for the daily Eleftherotypi on July 25, 2009 in which he quoted from an article in the Serb weekly Global about the presence of Greek paramilitary forces at the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. A former “Greek volunteer,” Vitalis considers the... MORE
A far-left extremist group claimed responsibility on Tuesday for the murder of a Greek investigative journalist who was gunned down in front of his Athens home last week, according to Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA). The group calling itself Revolutionary Sect sent a message to the Greek daily newspaper Ta Nea, claiming responsibility for the shooting of 37-year-old Socratis Giolias. The group did not give a motive for the attack. Giolias was killed by three people who fired a pair of nine-... MORE
Sokratis Giolias, 37, director of the private radio station Thema 98.9 and contributor to the popular online news blog Troktiko was murdered Saturday in Athens. At least two men reportedly dressed in police or security uniforms shot Giolias, after luring him out of his apartment in the Ilioupolis suburb of Athens at around 5 a.m., claiming his car was being stolen, according to regional and international news reports. Thema 98.9 is a news and entertainment broadcaster, but Troktiko often covers... MORE
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) has expressed deep concern over the attack on private television station TV Alter in Athens, Greece, on February 17. According to SEEMO, around 7:15 p.m., four armed men fired shots and threw a suspected explosive device outside the premises of TV Alter's central offices in Athens. No injuries were reported. The attack happened before the station's main evening news bulletin was broadcast, when the building was full of employees. Before the... MORE
A bomb exploded Wednesday at the Agence France-Presse (AFP) office in Athens causing minor damage but no injuries, the international news agency said. An underground group labelled as anarchist by Greek police claimed responsibility. The bomb, made up of four small gas cannisters, was placed at the front door to the office on the fifth floor of a block in the centre of the Greek capital. It exploded at about 6:00 pm. A fire started but this was quickly put out by firemen and the two AFP... MORE
The European Court of Human Rights has found Greece guilty of violating freedom of expression by convicting the daily I Avgi and its editor, Konstantinos Karis, of libel in 2003 for describing former journalist Kyriakos Velopoulos as a “known out-an-out nationalist” in a June 2000 article, Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) has reported. Velopoulos, who was elected last year as a parliamentary representative of Popular Orthodox Alert, a party that defends Greco-Christian ideals, sued I Avgi for... MORE
Athens - Greece was under a 24-hour news blackout as journalists launched work stoppages Tuesday as part of a wave of anti-government rallies against social security reforms. The strike, which is to also include a march in downtown Athens, is to disrupt newspaper production, radio and television news broadcasts and internet news sites across the country. Journalists are opposed to government plans to merge their pension fund with those of other professions. The powerful journalist union said it... MORE
