The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 13 other press freedom and human rights organizations on Thursday in criticizing the European Commission’s 2024 Rule of Law Report on Greece for downplaying the deteriorating state of the rule of law in Greece at a time when media freedom faces dire threats.
The EU’s annual assessment ignores the alarming reality experienced by journalists in Greece and risks emboldening the government’s crackdown on independent media, the groups said, highlighting intimidation, state surveillance, abusive legal actions, and coordinated online smear campaigns against journalists.
This week’s acquittal of suspects in the 2021 killing of reporter Giorgos Karaivaz, leaving his death unsolved, further perpetuates the climate of impunity for crimes against journalists in Greece, the statement said.
Read the full statement here.