On 15 March 2021, the Journalists’ Union of Athens Daily Newspapers issued a statement condemning the application of Article 417 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to defamation offences. According to this provision, the perpetrator of any misdemeanour may be arrested within 48 hours of the act. On this occasion, journalists were searched under this legal provision, following a complaint of a personal data breach in the Espresso newspaper. The Union has intervened in a number of other recent cases in which journalists were also arrested.
The Union argues that the phenomenon of issuing arrest warrants for journalists under this provision is anachronistic and contrary to press freedom, and has been denounced by both the European and the International Federation of Journalists.
In a state that adheres to the rule of law, both individual rights and the freedom of the press are protected. Journalists have the right to practise their work freely and independently, without censorship or influence. Article 14 of the Constitution guarantees the freedom of the press, and the Journalists’ Union of Athens Daily Newspapers in this case expresses its opposition to the application of a law that allows the arrests of journalists for defamation charges.
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