#karaivaz

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This week’s newsletter from AthensLive is out:

* A most shocking crime was just confirmed

* Report condemns Greece as to press freedom, while the government passes yet another controversial law

* Incarceration with no right to appeal for misdemeanors

- are the main headlines to be found inside this highly informative weekly must-read from and about Greece.

A horrific crime shocked and angered Greek society. A mother was arrested for the murder of her older daughter - one of her three children who died “mysteriously” within three years. The investigation continues. The recent Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) report on Press Freedom in Greece slams the country, stating the situation “is highly problematic and sets it apart from most other EU Member States.” It adds that the situation has deteriorated under New Democracy. Meanwhile, the government passed another amendment accused of targeting press freedom. A new law incarcerates even misdemeanor perpetrators when they act as a gang. They cannot appeal for a trial for a second degree and the sentence cannot be suspended. “It violates the presumption of innocence,” lawyers’ associations say.

Add to these headlines and main features a lot more overview and details about a variety of aspects of Greece during the week - together with an abundance of links to further reading and to more knowledge about Greece today.

By reading the newsletter - and even better by subscribing or becoming a supporting member - you will also find a lot of links to other sources and to events and developments that you will not otherwise come across. And even if some of them are in Greek only, by using a Translator in your browser, it will be easy to read no matter how familiar you are with the Greek language.

It cannot be recommended strongly enough to read and share this week’s updates on the events and developments in Greece here:

https://us13.campaign-archive.com/?u=d4f2da07ebb5f5e4d14ad8e2d&id=dc0c1c702f

For anyone with a wish or need to follow and to gain an insight into recent events in Greece and to read and support independent and investigative journalism in English, the weekly newsletter from AthensLive should be a core element in the reading flow.

If you want the best overview of the events and developments in Greece right now, this is the place to go. Not the mainstream Greek news, but independent journalism with sharp analysis and links to interesting and important topics from a variety of sources.

Become a member and get the newsletter in your inbox every week here:

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Greece: Probe into killing of Giorgos Karaivaz remains in “darkness”

“The chain is tightening around his killers” ― that’s what Greek media reported back in early May.  This is what was reported in July, to

“The chain is tightening around his killers” ― that’s what Greek media reported back in early May. 

This is what was reported in July, too. But fast forward to early November and no light has yet been shed into the assassination of prominent 52-year-old journalist Giorgos Karaivaz on April 9, 2021. No suspects have been publicly identified and no arrests have been made, while public information about the status of the investigation remains scarce.

“For the moment, we remain in darkness. After all these months, we have received no update whatsoever on the case”, Apostolos Lytras, the family’s lawyer who was also a friend of Karaivaz, told the International Press Institute (IPI).

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Greece journalists denounce press freedom backslide

The southern European country fell five spots in the 2021 World Press Freedom Index compiled by media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and now ranks 70th out of 180 countries, behind Poland and Mongolia.

George Pleios, head of media studies at the National University of Athens, says the deterioration over the past year has been alarming.

"Freedom of the press has become a concern," he told AFP.

Pleios said a raft of press freedom violations in recent years have included journalists being detained or intimidated, and police beating photographers during protests.

But in April, a prominent crime reporter, 52-year-old Giorgos Karaivaz, was gunned down outside his home in Athens. The government ordered an investigation, but no arrests have been made.

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Greece: Little progress on Karaivaz murder investigation six months on

To mark the six-month anniversary of the assassination of veteran Greek crime reporter Giorgos Karaivaz, the IPI global network urges Greek law enforcement authorities to redouble efforts to bring those responsible for the targeted assassination to justice. We call on authorities not to let Karaivaz’s murder become another long-running and damaging case of impunity for the killing of a journalist within the European Union.

On April 9, 2021, Karaivaz, an experienced reporter who worked for the TV channel STAR and ran a news website focusing on crime and policing, was ambushed by two men on a scooter and gunned down outside his home in broad daylight with a silenced weapon. Police said the “professional” style of the hit indicted the involvement of organised crime groups, which have carried out a number of targeted killings in recent years and which Karaivaz was known to have investigated.

Immediately after the murder, IPI and our partners in the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) wrote to authorities including the prime minister and the minister of citizen protection urging them to ensure the probe by the Hellenic Police was conducted swiftly, thoroughly and professionally. We received no response. However, the government responded to an alert on the Council of Europe’s platform for the safety of journalists, stressing that investigations are continuing as a matter of priority and that authorities “have spared no effort in their search to identify the perpetrators and motives”.