In February and March 2025, complaints and evidence were published regarding the use of excessive and unprovoked police violence against representatives of the press, photojournalists Orestis Panagiotou and Alexandros Belte, during their coverage of the demonstrations marking the two-year anniversary of the fatal Tempi rail accident. Journalists Unions (1, 2) denounced the incident and condemned all forms of violence against citizens demonstrating peacefully, as well as all acts of violence against journalists.
In his own post on social networks on February 28, photojournalist and former president of the Union of Photojournalists of Greece, Marios Lolos published photos of Mr Panagiotou’s injuries, citing reduced hearing and stitches as a result of the use of flash bangs against him during the protests. Mr Lolos also published evidence of the photojournalist’s photographic equipment being destroyed as a result of the police attack.
The incident was also recorded as a physical assault and a violation of press freedom by the Mapping Media Freedom, a reporting mechanism which operates on the initiative of the European Centre for Press & Media Freedom – ECPMF.
It should be noted that in a statement on 1 March, the Hellenic Police Force (ELAS) defended the work of the police forces as being “within the law”.
In a state governed by the rule of law, the freedom of the press and individual rights are upheld and defended by the state. Journalists and photojournalists have the right to exercise their profession freely and independently, without censorship and without disproportionate and unjustified restrictions, in order to fully inform the public on issues of major public interest.
Despite the guarantee of the freedom of the press under Article 14(2) of the Constitution, in this case the police authorities not only failed to facilitate the work of the representatives of the press, but also reportedly used serious, unprovoked physical violence against them, making it essentially impossible for them to cover an issue of public interest on which public opinion has the right to be informed.
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