On 12-9-2023, journalist Giorgos Fakis, who was covering a protest march in Larissa, reported that he was attacked with a baton by a police officer, an incident which was apparently recorded on video.
In a social media post the journalist claimed that he was running whilst shooting a video on his mobile phone, with the other hand over his eyes; blinded by tear gas, when a police officer ran up to him and hit him twice with a baton, and despite the fact that Mr Fakis shouted that he was a journalists shooting a video, was then hit a third time (see more in 1, 2, 3).
The Journalists’ Union of Macedonia and Thrace Daily Newspapers, of which Mr Fakis is a member, condemned the unprovoked attack against the journalist, underlining its repeated calls to the police authorities to prevent such incidents and to protect journalists while they are carrying out their work..
In a state governed by the rule of law, the action and functioning of the police authorities must be governed by certain principles, including the principle of legality, the principle of proportionality, the prohibition of abuse of police power, the prohibition of discrimination, and the respect for and protection of human rights.
The powers of the police authorities and the conduct to be displayed by them in the exercise of their duties are regulated, inter alia, by Decree Laws 538/1989, 141/1991 and 254/2004.
Although the police may use force to enforce the law, this does not mean that all use of preventive or repressive force by the police is lawful. On the contrary, the arbitrary use of the power to use force and police action in excess of the legal limits is a dangerous phenomenon for a democracy. Additionally, the authorities are obliged to facilitate the free movement of members of the press in the exercise of their function, and certainly not to repress them.
In this particular case, journalist Giorgos Fakis appears to have been attacked by police officers whilst covering a march in Larissa, despite the fact that he had openly declared his professional status.
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