REPORTS
A journalist alleges that they were forced to resign following pressure from the Prime Minister’s office
On December 16, 2020, journalist Dimitra Kroustalli, who worked for To Vima for 30 years, complained that she was forced to leave the newspaper following pressure from the government. She alleges that the Prime Minister’s office pressured the newspaper after the publication of her report which revealed gaps and inaccuracies in the recording of pandemic data, as well as the existence of two parallel systems for recording coronavirus cases by both the e-Government Center for Social Security Services (IDIKA) and the Public Health Organization (EODY), which resulted in incomplete and essentially fictitious epidemiological data.
“On Monday I left To Vima, and I confess that this was a possibility that had never crossed my mind. Following the publication of the report on the parallel and ineffective system for recording coronavirus cases by IDIKA and EODY, suffocating pressure was exerted by Maximos. The internal tension brought me to a dilemma: personal and professional humiliation or resignation,” the journalist said in a Facebook post.
The newspaper also took down the article from its website (though it remains stored here). It should be noted that, despite these events, the government did not comment on or deny the journalist’s allegations.
In a state governed by the rule of law, journalists have the right to practice their profession freely and independently, without censorship or pressure.
Despite Article 14 of the Constitution guaranteeing freedom of the press from state influence, in this case a journalist alleges that she was forced out of her job following pressure exerted by the government for her reporting, which revealed mistakes in the government’s management of pandemic data.
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