Greece: Media Freedom in Crisis

Human Rights Watch also found the use of state funds to sway coverage, and editorial influence over public media, further exacerbating this climate. These conditions undermine freedom of expression and the public’s right to information.

May 8, 2025

From Bad to Worse

“The pervasive and deliberate constraints on journalism in Greece are creating an environment in which critical reporting is stifled and self-censorship becomes the norm,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

“The EU needs to recognize this as a serious threat to democratic values and the rule of law, and press Athens to change course.”

The research is based on interviews with 26 journalists from a variety of media outlets, together with academics, legal, and media experts.

Human Rights Watch spoke to journalists working in print media, electronic media, television, and radio, for public, private, and independent outlets, to foreign correspondents and freelancers.

Few journalists were willing to be identified, fearing reprisals. We also analyzed reports and other documents and consulted with relevant stakeholders.

Greece’s media landscape is characterized by a high concentration of ownership, with a few powerful individuals controlling many outlets. Many of them have ties to the governing party.

Twenty-two journalists described an increasingly hostile environment for their work, while six reported specific instances of harassment by high-ranking government officials related to their reporting.

One freelance foreign correspondent said: “Now I am considering leaving the country. In a real way. I just don’t see the point of putting myself through this level of anxiety. The stories do matter but the level of violence seems to have gotten worse.”

One reporter with over 25 years of experience at a major Greek private TV channel said: “What you say on TV is so controlled that you have no freedom. The control is done by those high up…. Everything is controlled. What you will say, how you will say it.”

In 2022, the government was strongly suspected to have used Predator spyware to target journalists, among others, resulting in a major surveillance scandal.

Seven of the journalists indicated having evidence or strong suspicion of state surveillance, whether through more “traditional” means such as wiretapping or by being targeted with commercial spyware.

This raises serious privacy and free expression concerns, and risks chilling reporting, as both sources and journalists fear for their safety.

Stavros Malichudis, an independent reporter who discovered in 2021 that Greece’s intelligence service had spied on him, said:

“For many months I was in fear. In fear of meeting people, my sources, and exposing them. It took me a lot of time to disengage from what happened and start doing reporting again.”

Human Rights Watch also found that the government had exerted undue influence over state media like ERT and the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA), undermining their independence.

The government also used state advertising funds to favor pro-government outlets.

Another major concern is the weaponization of the legal system against journalists, primarily through abusive lawsuits often known as SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation).

The retaliatory defamation lawsuits filed by Grigoris Dimitriadis, nephew of the Greek Prime Minister and a former high-ranking government official, against journalists who reported on the surveillance scandal, exemplifies this trend.

In addition, while recent amendments decriminalized “simple defamation” (dissemination of a fact, even if true, that can be offensive), the laws still create criminal responsibility for “insult” and “slanderous defamation.”

Human Rights Watch also found a pattern of efforts by government and other authorities to undermine accountability.

This includes invoking national security to block disclosure of information related to the surveillance scandal, investigating whistleblowers, and a reluctance to release details about the distribution of public advertising funds to the media.

There is growing international concern about the state of media freedom in Greece, including in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, where Greece consistently ranks at the bottom among EU member states.

In February 2024, the European Parliament adopted a resolutionraising serious concerns about media freedom and the rule of law in Greece.

The European Commission’s Rule of Law reports have also raised concerns about media freedom in the country, though they have so far failed to acknowledge the gravity of media suppression and its systemic nature.

Human Rights Watch shared its research findings with the government and relevant authorities and media, and their responses are summarized in the report, and available in full online.

While the government has pointed to certain initiatives aimed at improving media freedom, it is unclear whether these actions will result in meaningful change.

The government’s overall response largely defends the status quo and downplays the severity of the problems Human Rights Watch documented.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis dismissed the European Parliament’s resolution, for example, saying the country’s rule of law is “stronger than ever” and that “Greece in the past few years has often been at the center of slander” in response to criticisms of his government’s human rights record.

Greece has clear international obligations to uphold media freedom and the rule of law, principles enshrined in its own constitution as well as in the European Union’s fundamental values enshrined in the EU treaties.

The European Union has a responsibility to ensure that Greece as a member state adheres to these commitments and addresses media freedom violations.

“The dismissive response of the Greek government to legitimate criticism by the European Parliament suggest stronger action from the European Commission is needed,” Williamson said.

“In particular, the Commission and the EU as a whole need to monitor the situation carefully and ensure genuine progress is made on media freedom in Greece and core democratic values are upheld.”