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Thodoris Chondrogiannos 25 • 07 • 2021

Journalists’ Union of Athens Daily Newspapers calls for legal reform to ensure the freedom of the press in Greece

Thodoris Chondrogiannos
Journalists’ Union of Athens Daily Newspapers calls for legal reform to ensure the freedom of the press in Greece
25 • 07 • 2021

The Journalists’ Union of Athens Daily Newspapers condemns lawsuits against journalists and calls for the abolition of the anachronistic legal framework that is affecting the freedom of the press in Greece.

On July 14, 2021, the Journalists’ Union of Athens Daily Newspapers issued a statement calling for the abolition of law 1178/1981 (Government Gazette A 187/16.7.1981) which they say is anachronistic, and is affecting the freedom of the press in Greece.

This was prompted by yet another lawsuit filed against a journalist; Nikos Bogiopoulos, who is being sued by the Union of Retired Army Officers (EAAS) for an article he wrote a year earlier.

“We reiterate our firm position for the abolition of law 1178/81, which has the sole purpose of harming the freedom of the press and the commitment of the journalistic world to the principles of the Code of Ethics of the journalistic profession, as voted by the General Assembly of the Union in 1998, and the World Charter of Ethics for journalists of the International Federation of Journalists,” 

The position of the Union regarding the repeal of Law 1178/81 is based on the fact that this law has created a litigating industry whose sole purpose is to silence the press and journalists. These lawsuits, they say, are essentially aimed at the obstruction of investigative journalism, and the financial destruction of the media and journalists engaged in it; they are aimed at controlling journalism in Greece so that it doesn’t disrupt or deal with issues that affect private interests.

The failure to adopt an effective legal framework for dealing with SLAPP lawsuits effectively leaves the media, journalists and organisations vulnerable to abusive legal attacks by powerful politicians or large multinationals who have the financial means to litigate repeatedly against financially weaker media and journalists in order to silence them. This phenomenon ultimately harms the freedom of the press, which is protected by Article 14 of the Constitution.

As such, the state must take immediate measures to protect against these abusive legal attacks. In fact, the need to adopt such measures is supported by both the European Commission and the European Parliament. The Commission is currently preparing a proposal for a directive to “protect journalists and human rights defenders in strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP).”

In November 2021, the European Parliament also voted in favour of a report calling for new rules within the EU, “to counteract the threat that Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) pose to journalists, NGOs and civil society in Europe.” SLAPPs, they say, are frivolous legal actions based on exaggerated and often abusive claims, aiming to intimidate and professionally discredit their targets, with the ultimate objective of blackmailing and silencing them. Among the measures proposed by the European Parliament is the establishment of rules on early dismissal by the courts so that abusive lawsuits can be stopped quickly based on objective criteria; the claimant should face sanctions if they fail to justify in what way their action is not abusive.

Thodoris Chondrogiannos
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