Human rights, media groups lambast ‘misleading’ rule of law report on Greece
A recent report by the European Commission about the rule of law in Greece “misleads readers” by “glossing over critical issues,” 14 human rights and media freedom organizations said on Thursday.
While the report, issued on July 24, acknowledges issues with the independence and resources of the media regulator, the independence of public media, access to information, the persistence of threats to journalists’ safety, and the pressures from strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) and harassment, including by politicians, “it fails to grasp the severity of the ongoing crisis,” the groups said.
“The overly positive account in the report starkly contrasts an alarming reality experienced by journalists, activists, and civil society organizations on the ground,” the 14 signatories said, adding that it “disproportionately focuses on positive developments, without weighing them against the broader systemic issues and ongoing violations. This raises concerns about the Commission’s willingness to confront the depth of the crisis in a European Union member state.”
“By glossing over critical issues in Greece facing the media and civil society, the European Commission’s findings risk emboldening the Greek government’s crackdown on independent media and civil society.”
The groups pointed to a decision by the supreme court’s prosecutor this week which cleared all Greek state agencies or any state official of responsibility for the use of Predator spyware against dozens of prominent individuals, including journalists, despite documented evidence of their involvement.
“A lack of media pluralism, including inappropriate government control over state media, and collusion between media owners and political interests lead to a pervasive climate of censorship and self-censorship, which further distorts the media landscape and undermines journalistic independence,” they added.
The joint press release is signed by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the Free Press Unlimited (FPU), the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR), the Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR), HIAS Greece, Human Rights Watch, Inside Story, Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT), Refugee Support Aegean (RSA), Reporters Without Borders, Solomon, Transparency International EU, and Vouliwatch.
