Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

Authorities accused of spying on journalists in Greece

Authorities accused of spying on journalists in Greece

Following attacks on journalists, a new law that many feel is a threat to independent reporting and reports that authorities in Greece are spying on journalists, concern about media freedom in Greece is growing.

On November 13, 29-year-old investigative journalist Stavros Malichudis was scrolling through Facebook and enjoying his morning coffee when he stumbled across a report by the Greek media outlet EFSYN. The headline read "Greek authorities spy on citizens." He immediately ran outside and bought the newspaper. What he read confirmed his suspicions: the article was about him and his employer, Solomon, an investigative media outlet based in Athens.

Malichudis had been reporting on a 12-year-old refugee on the island of Kos, whose artwork had been featured in the French newspaper Le Monde. The journalist's name appeared in e-mails leaked from the National Security Service, showing that the authorities had him under surveillance.

Greece's National Security Service had investigative journalist Stavros Malichudis under surveillance


According to Malichudis, the intimidation of journalists is on the rise. He also believes that he is not the only journalist under surveillance. "The government in general is not happy with people reporting on issues relating to migration, especially on how the government handles migration in Greece," he says.

The country's leading lawmakers are trying to maintain a positive narrative about how well Greece is using the €3.3 billion it received from the European Union to manage migration as a first reception country, Malichudis explains. Countless media reports have, however, raised serious doubts about this apparent success story. International media outlets, including Der Spiegel, The New York Times and Deutsche Welle, have presented evidence that Greek authorities illegally deport asylum-seekers to Turkey on a regular basis.

Dutch journalist publicly confronts Greek PM


Most Greek media ignore reports about illegal activities and refrain from asking the government uncomfortable questions. The result is a continuous tiptoeing around taboos that only a few journalists dare to disregard. Recently, however, long-standing Dutch correspondent Ingeborg Beugel did just that.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis


Beugel caused a scandal when she confronted Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during a joint press conference with his Dutch counterpart, Mark Rutte, on November 9. "When, at last, will you stop lying, lying about pushbacks, lying about refugees in Greece," she asked Mitsotakis before criticizing both the EU and the Netherlands for tolerating Athens' violent migration policy and for not allowing more asylum-seekers into the country.

Angry response


The Greek prime minister initially replied that he understood that "in the Netherlands you have a culture of asking exact direct questions to politicians, which I very much respect." Then, however, he got angry and accused her of insulting both him and the country. The incident led to a series of aggressive attacks against Beugel that depicted her as a Turkish agent and sought to undermine her credibility as a journalist. She received numerous death threats and was even physically assaulted.

Greece has been sealing its land borders with Turkey with a five-meter tall concrete filled fence


International organizations, among them Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders, are increasingly concerned about media freedom in Greece. A new law, which makes the sharing of fake news a criminal offense, is fueling their concern. According to legislation passed on November 11, anyone found guilty of spreading "false news that is capable of causing concern or eroding public confidence in the national economy, the country's defense capacity or public health" can be sentenced to "imprisonment of at least six months and a fine."

Lawsuits against journalists


"It's extraordinarily vague," says Pavlos Eleftheriadis, professor of public law at the University of Oxford, pointing out how the new law could be used against journalists. His main concern, however, is rooted in the country's judicial power: "The Greek court system has proven to be unreliable in the protection of human rights." Eleftheriadis fears that the judiciary in Greece is highly politicized. "We have systemic problems in our judicial system, but unfortunately, this government is not interested in this."

According to Eleftheriadis, the system should have been reformed years ago, but nothing has been done. This is why he sees the new law as a "threat to free speech."

Greek journalist Stavroula Poulimeni is one of the founders of Alterthess, a small cooperative news website


Stavroula Poulimeni and a group of Greek journalists that is committed to free speech and independent journalism founded Alterthess, a small cooperative news website, in 2010. Since then, Poulimeni has been covering the environmental and social impact of gold mining activities in Halkidiki, a region of outstanding natural beauty in northern Greece.

In October 2020, she reported on the conviction of two senior executives of Hellas Gold over the pollution of surface waters and environmental damage. A year later, after the Court of Appeal confirmed the verdict, Stavroula Poulimeni and Alterthess were served with a lawsuit on behalf of Efstathios Lialios, one of the convicted executives, requesting €100,000 compensation for publication of the story and the illegal processing of personal data related to a criminal conviction. If the sum is not paid, Poulimeni could face a year in prison.

Attempt to muzzle independent reporters


"It is a clear attempt to make us stop covering the environmental crime that is happening in Halkidiki," Poulimeni told DW, adding that the lawsuit is a SLAPP, a strategic lawsuit against public participation. SLAPPs seek to intimidate critics and silence people who are trying to report on matters of public interest. Alarmingly, use of these SLAPPs seems to be increasing in the EU.

Poulimeni admits that dealing with such lawsuits not only takes a huge amount of time, but also a psychological toll. She is quick to stress, however, that she is not afraid. "The company is trying to intimidate us but so far, it has succeeded in doing quite the opposite: it has motivated us to engage more with this topic," she says. Alterthess is one of a very small number of media covering the topic of gold extraction in Halkidiki and monitoring Hellas Gold's activities. "There is a weird silence around gold in Halkidiki imposed by mainstream media," she says, adding that many media are in favor of the company, as it funds them through advertising.

Financially independent press


The financial viability of Greek media is one of the challenges threatening press freedom that worries Nikos Panagiotou, associate professor at the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. "When the press is not financially independent, its credibility and independence will be undermined in the long run. The media outlets will depend on other sources of funding to survive," he told DW.

While international organizations such as the International Press Institute have expressed their grave concern over this SLAPP, and two parties have raised questions about it in parliament, coverage of the lawsuit has been limited to leftist and independent media outlets.

Panagiotou also points to another important factor that is shrinking media pluralism: media ownership. "We have only a small number of people owning a big percentage of media outlets," he says.

These incidents, together with the killing of veteran journalist Giorgos Karaivaz, attacks on reporters and government attempts to restrict media access have led Media Freedom Rapid Response, a mechanism that monitors press freedom violations in Europe, to recently launch an online fact-finding mission to Greece to assess media freedom and the safety of journalists in the country.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
×