On 22 January 2023, PASOK MP Georgios Kaminis announced that he had filed a complaint with the prosecutor of the Court of First Instance to investigate the possibility that his conversations may have been illegally monitored by state intelligence agencies. The MP’s appeal to the judiciary came after it was revealed that a person with whom he has constant contact had been placed under surveillance and thus conversations between the two may have been monitored. The person in question is Yannis Anastasakos, a close associate of the former Minister of Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis.
Kaminis described this legal action as a political message, and an attempt to put these illegal surveillance activities under the spotlight where the government was attempting to downplay the seriousness of its actions.
This legal action comes just days after revelations that the National Intelligence Service had been monitoring another MP, former Energy Minister and current Labour Minister Kostis Hadjidakis. This surveillance began just after the victory of New Democracy in the 2019 elections, when Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in one of his first moves, put the state intelligence agency under his direct supervision (Government Gazette: Issue Α’/119/8.7.2019), and placed his nephew and Secretary General, Gregoris Dimitriadis, as the political head of the service.
The independent authority for the privacy of communications, ADAE, has also confirmed that the intelligence service had placed the President of PASOK and MEP Nikos Androulakis, MEP Giorgos Kyrtsos, as well as five other high-ranking officials, including senior armed forces personnel, under surveillance.
The surveillance of an MP or MEP by either state agencies or through malicious spyware, such as Predator, raises serious issues with the rule of law and the Constitution, Article 19 of which guarantees the absolute inviolability of citizens’ communications.
Former Deputy Prime-Minister and now Professor of Constitutional Law of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Evangelos Venizelos, has argued that the lifting of the privacy of communications of an MP or MEP is illegal.
Although Article 19 of the Constitution guarantees the absolute inviolability of the confidentiality of communications, these allegations of surveillance by state agencies yet again raise serious issues with democracy and the rule of law in Greece.
Bank Account number: 1100 0232 0016 560
IBAN: GR56 0140 1100 1100 0232 0016 560
BIC: CRBAGRAA
In a time where the very foundations of democracy are gradually being eroded by the rise of extreme nationalism, alt-right movements, the spread of disinformation and corporate capture, the efforts of organisations such as Vouliwatch are more relevant than ever.
We rely on the generosity of each and every one of you to continue with our efforts for more transparency and accounta
By financially supporting Vouliwatch you support our litigation strategy, our campaigns for transparency and accountability in the political system, the development of new civic tech tools, our research projects and last but not least our impartial and accurate