Invitation to Press Conference
Greece in institutional decline:
Civil society tracks persisting rule of law backsliding
Wednesday, January 24, at 12.00, at DSA - Athens Bar Association (60 Akadimias, Athens)
Press Release
Athens, 18 January 2024
Independent organisations Vouliwatch, Greek Council for Refugees (GCR), Refugee Support Aegean (RSA), HIAS Greece, Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR) and Reporters United invite you to a joint press conference, on Wednesday, January 24, at noon (12.00), at DSA – Athens Bar Association (60 Akadimias, Athens).
Defending and strengthening the rule of law remains a core priority for Greek civil society against the backdrop of ongoing institutional decline in the country. The hosting organisations submitted our joint report to the European Commission on the rule of law in Greece in 2023, as part of the Commission’s annual monitoring of Member States’ systems through its Rule of Law Report. At the press conference, we will present this contribution, which documents persisting deficiencies and emerging threats to the rule of law in Greece.
We identify five cross-cutting issues permeating different pillars of the rule of law in Greece:
- Surveillance by the National Intelligence Service (EYP) and use of Predator spyware against high-ranking state officials, journalists and other targets;
- Government interference in the work of constitutionally protected independent authorities such as the Communication Security and Privacy Authority (ADAE), namely through unconstitutional changes to its composition, intimidation of its members and summons thereof as suspects in criminal proceedings;
- Enforced disappearance of people seeking asylum in the country in the form of push backs, in continued direct contempt of European Court of Human Rights orders to provide assistance to people in distress and allow them access to asylum procedures;
- Declining press freedom ranking last among EU countries for a second consecutive year, on account of threats and attacks, surveillance and SLAPPs against journalists;
- Police violence and arbitrariness, especially against minorities, in combination with a general perception of impunity of law enforcement bodies and a lack of effective investigations.
Speakers at the press conference will present, with their interventions, the above issues, namely:
- Stefanos Loukopoulos, Vouliwatch Director, “Good legislation-transparency”
- Thodoris Chondrogiannos, Reporters United, “Press freedom and wiretapping”
- Elli Kriona-Saranti, Lawyer, HIAS Greece, “Effectiveness of justice (policing, pushbacks, criminalisation)”
The press conference will be moderated by Maria Louka, Screenwriter – Journalist (News247). Athens Bar Association President, Dimitrios Vervesos, will address an opening speech.
At the press conference, the report and executive summary we submitted to the European Commission will be released. The press conference will be held in Greek, but the report and the summary will be available in English.
Our report also highlights further breaches of rule of law principles and of international, EU and domestic legal obligations. Through our contribution, we aim to inform the rule of law monitoring process with reliable, up-to-date evidence and urge the European Commission to recommend concrete commitments from Greece to ensure effective compliance with EU foundational principles and legal obligations.
