PRESS CONFERENCE
DEMOCRACY WITH NO AIR
The State of the Rule of Law in Greece Today
Tuesday 4 February
Time: 11:00 AM
Athens Bar Association (60 Akadimias St., Athens)
Category: Press Releases
Closure of the preliminary investigation by the prosecution of the Piraeus Maritime Court on the Pylos shipwreck
The absence of any investigation into the responsibilities of the competent search and rescue bodies and the leadership of the Coast Guard and the Greek Coast Guard is deafening
Police Brutality and Fundamental Rights: An overview of police arbitrariness in Greece
The Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR) has published the study titled: “Police, Brutality and Fundamental Rights: An overview of police arbitrariness in Greece”. Drawing on its many years of experience, the HLHR presents a comprehensive study on police violence and arbitrariness in Greece, highlighting the systematic nature of the phenomenon.
Greece: EU Ignores Deteriorating Rule of Law
Greece: EU Ignores Deteriorating Rule of Law
Misleading Report Plays Down Curbs in Media, Civic Space
(Brussels, August 1, 2024) – The European Commission’s 2024 Rule of Law Report, published on July 24, 2024, misleads readers about the state of the rule of law in Greece at a time when media freedom and civic space face dire threats and attacks, 14 human rights and media freedom organizations said today.
The overly positive account in the report starkly contrasts an alarming reality experienced by journalists, activists, and civil society organizations on the ground, and a growing international concern over the deterioration of the rule of law in the country, which was highlighted by 17 human rights and press freedom groups in a February 2024 letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
SLAPP Proof: advocacy for freedom of expression and information
The Hellenic League for Human Rights and the investigative journalism group The Manifold announce the launch of the project “SLAPP Proof: Advocacy for Freedom of Expression and Information”.
SLAPP Proof comes in response to one of the main challenges in the rights field: the shrinking right to freedom of expression and information is being challenged by the increasingly widespread practice of SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation). The project aims to develop a framework for protection against SLAPPs that will promote freedom of expression, support public participation and strengthen the rule of law in Greece through information, awareness raising and advocacy for protection against SLAPPs.
Attack in Thessaloniki: yet another violent incident targeting people because of their identity
Athens 15.03.2024 – The Racist Violence Recording Network strongly condemns the violent incident against two LGBTQI+ individuals in Thessaloniki by a large group on Saturday 9 March 2024 and expresses its deep concern about the escalating homophobic and transphobic rhetoric targeting LGBTQI+ people and the impact it might have on their safety and well-being. According to the victims’ testimonies, teenagers and young adults were among the group of alleged perpetrators. Several people were arrested and subsequently charged.
Greece: Rule of Law Threatened
Greece: Rule of Law Threatened
Rights Groups Urge European Commission to Take Action
(Athens, February 6, 2024) – The European Commission should take immediate action to address the deterioration of media freedom and the rule of law in Greece and its impact on fundamental rights, 17 human rights and press freedom organizations said today in a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Threats to the rule of law include an ongoing major surveillance scandal allegedly implicating the government in the targeted hacking of journalists’ devices, government interference with the media, abusive lawsuits against journalists and activists, and an overall unsafe working environment for journalists. Two unresolved murders of journalists in 10 years underscore the risks they face. In addition, under the New Democracy government, the authorities have used the criminal justice system to threaten civil society groups and activists. Registration requirements for nongovernmental groups working on migration and asylum have imposed an unreasonable burden on them.
Greece in institutional decline: Civil society tracks persisting rule of law backsliding
Executive Summary
Defending and strengthening the rule of law in remains a core priority for Greek civil society against the backdrop of ongoing institutional decline in the country.
Independent organisations Vouliwatch, Greek Council for Refugees (GCR), Refugee Support Aegean (RSA), HIAS Greece, Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR) and Reporters United document persisting deficiencies and emerging threats to the rule of law in Greece in their contribution to the European Commission’s annual monitoring of Member States’ systems through its Rule of Law Report.
40 survivors of the Pylos shipwreck file a criminal complaint before the Naval Court of Piraeus
Athens, September 14, 2023: Forty survivors of the deadly shipwreck in Pylos filed yesterday a criminal complaint against all responsible parties before the Naval Court of Piraeus.
The survivors, represented by the Network for Refugee and Migrant Rights, the Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR), the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR), the Initiative of Lawyers and Jurists for the shipwreck of Pylos, and Refugee Support Aegean (RSA), denounce a series of violations of the Greek authorities’ obligations to protect the lives of those on board and demand an effective investigation into the circumstances of the deadliest shipwreck to occur in the Mediterranean in recent years.
A New Gender Era: A project to tackle gender stereotypes
The Hellenic League for Human Rights and the Gender Alliance joined forces to contribute to tackling gender stereotypes and to the development of new, alternative and positive narratives around gender in Greece.
No monitoring of fundamental rights violations in Greece without independent and effective mechanisms
Athens, June 21, 2023: Greece must guarantee independent and effective monitoring of violations of the human rights of refugees and migrants to restore the rule of law, following the European Commission request to the Greek authorities for an investigation of a push back of refugees by the Hellenic Coast Guard on Lesvos island, documented by the New York Times. The Greek authorities have entrusted the National Transparency Authority (NTA) with the investigation.
Announcement regarding SLAPP lawsuit against a journalist and its partial acceptance by the court
The treatment of investigative journalism as a threat and the vindictive lawsuits and lawsuits against journalists create great concern, not only for the violation of their rights, but above all for the future of press freedom in Greece. Lawsuits against journalists because of their research or criticism of issues of public interest are SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) cases aimed at intimidating as well as morally and financially eliminating the defendant journalists.
