According to a complaint, on November 5, 2021, the photojournalist O.P. was covering a gathering of seasonal firefighters outside the Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection in Maroussi, when police water cannons opened fire without warning. The cannon pilot directed the high velocity stream of water directly at the crowd, seriously injuring the photojournalist, who was holding his photographic equipment and was clearly displaying his press badge.
The right to assembly is enshrined in both the Greek Constitution (Article 11) and the European Convention on Human Rights (Article 11). Although the police have the legal authority to attend public gatherings and to disperse them for specific reasons such as a threat to public order, the measures they take must be proportionate. The indiscriminate use of violent means that threaten the life or physical integrity of citizens is illegal in a state that adheres to the rule of law.
In addition, the ability of police officers to use violence is governed by the same guarantees as in any other case, as reflected in the Code of Criminal Procedure (Article 256), Presidential Decree 141/1991 (Article 120), and Presidential Decree 254/2004 (Code of Police Ethics).
Finally, the use of violent means of repression against journalists is a serious violation of the freedom of the press, which the public authorities are obliged to facilitate in the exercise of their function.
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