On 1 November 2024, the Journalists Union of Athens Daily Newspapers (ΕΣΗΕΑ) condemned the arrest of journalist Giorgos Androutsos on 31 October, while the journalist was covering a protest by seasonal firefighters outside the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection.
On 31 October 2024, Giorgos Androutsos, a Greek journalist for the newspaper “Rizospastis”, was physically assaulted and arrested by riot police while covering protests by seasonal firefighters outside the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection in Athens. The seasonal firefighters were protesting after their short-term contracts expired at the end of the severe forest fire season. Demanding permanent jobs, the seasonal firefighters were met with police violence. Giorgos Androutsos, who was documenting the clashes, was also physically assaulted by police. Video footage shows Androutsos being thrown to the ground, beaten, and dragged, despite being identified as a journalist by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and MP Christos Katsotis, who tried to stop the police officers. Androutsos was then handcuffed and transferred to the Directorate of Police Department (GADA). Injured, the journalist was then taken to the hospital “Evangelismos” for medical examination on the night of 31 October – 1 November. He spent the night at the hospital, before being transferred back to the police station on 1 November evening. Androutsos was finally released later during the day, by order of the prosecutor and after a report had been filed. Criminal charges had been brought against Androutsos under Articles 167, 308 and 315a of the Greek Penal Code. The first charge relates to “resistance, violence against public officials and members of the judiciary”, the second to “assault” and the third to “crimes against the physical integrity of a public official, especially aggravating circumstances”.
The Greek journalists’ unions, including the Union of Journalists of Athens Daily Newspapers (JUADN), the Journalists’ Union of Macedonia and Thrace (ESIEMTH), the Panhellenic Federation of Journalists’ Union (PFJU), strongly condemned the attack.
As of 6 November 2024, Androutsos’ case file has not yet been passed to a prosecutor, so he has not taken any legal action.
The journalist’s arrest was also recorded by the Mapping Media Freedom, reporting mechanism, which is an initiative of the European Centre for Press & Media Freedom – ECPMF.
Under the rule of law, individual rights and in particular freedom of the press are protected. Journalists have the right to exercise their profession freely and independently, free from censorship and influence.
However, in this case, riot police forces arrested a reporter at work, covering protests by seasonal firefighters outside the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection in Athens, and subsequently filed criminal charges against him.
Against the background of the safeguarding of freedom of the press under Article 14 of the Constitution, the Greek authorities should investigate the incident and the allegations.
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