On July 10, 2025, an improvised explosive device was discovered outside the home of journalist and publisher of To Vima, Giannis Pretenteris. The unlawful act was condemned by the Journalists’ Union of Athens Daily Newspapers (ESIEA) as an attempt to intimidate him in the exercise of his profession and in the constitutionally protected free expression of his views.
On July 10, 2025, an improvised explosive device was found outside the residence of journalist and publisher Giannis Pretenteris in Neo Psychiko. Reports indicated that the device consisted of several sticks of dynamite and a detonator placed inside a plastic bag, apparently discarded during the night by unknown perpetrators. It was assessed as being of medium strength.
Following its discovery, the device was transferred to the laboratories of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations for further examination, while the Counter-Terrorism Service also launched an investigation into the incident.
The placement of the explosive device, interpreted as an attempt to intimidate the journalist in the course of his professional duties, was strongly condemned by ESIEA. The Union stressed that such actions endanger not only the journalist himself but also his family, and that violence of this kind undermines the principles of a democratic society founded on freedom of expression and pluralism in information.
Pretenteris himself described the incident as a profound violation of his privacy and security, noting the difficulty of facing such an attack simply because of disagreement with his views or writings.
The attack was also condemned by the government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis, as well as by opposition parties including PASOK, SYRIZA, and the Communist Party of Greece (KKE).
Under the rule of law, individual rights, and in particular freedom of the press, must be safeguarded. Journalists are entitled to practice their profession freely and independently, without censorship and without disproportionate or unjustified restrictions, so that the public can be fully informed on matters of major public interest.
Although freedom of the press is explicitly guaranteed by Article 14(2) of the Constitution, in the case under review a journalist was subjected to a violent and unlawful act that endangered both his own safety and that of his family. According to the statement of the Journalists’ Union of Athens Daily Newspapers (ESIEA), this incident constitutes a direct threat to the exercise of the journalistic profession and to the constitutionally enshrined freedom of expression through the press.
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