Invitation to Press Conference: DEMOCRACY WITH NO AIR: The State of the Rule of Law in Greece Today
Illegal pushbacks, police violence, Pylos shipwreck, wiretapping scandal, Tempi train crash, absence of accountability and delivery of justice, poor law-making, “omnibus” legislation, constant and irrelevant legislative amendments, shrinking press freedom, attacks and lawsuits against journalists, concentration of media ownership, state breaches of personal data, corruption, lack of transparency in gifts to political figures and ministerial staff…
These are just some of the critical issues affecting the Rule of Law in Greece today. At a time when authoritarian politics, the re-election of Donald Trump, the rise of the far-right, growing social inequality, the dominance of populism in public discourse and attacks on human rights cast a dark shadow over democracy.
In light of these developments and the ongoing weakening of institutions in Greece, Greek Civil Society leads a pressing fight to safeguard the Rule of Law and to strengthen transparency and accountability.
Independent organisations Greek Council for Refugees (GCR), Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR), HIAS Greece, Homo Digitalis, Refugee Support Aegean (RSA), Reporters United, Solomon, and Vouliwatch, submitted for a third consecutive year a joint report to the European Commission on the Rule of Law in Greece in 2024, as part of the annual monitoring of national systems.
We demand a clear shift in the European Commission’s approach, focusing not on “commitments” or “intentions” of the state but on an accurate depiction of the situation in the country. Systematic violations of fundamental principles of the Rule of Law cannot be treated as isolated incidents.
We invite you to the Press Conference, which will take place on Tuesday 4 February at 11:00 a.m. at the Athens Bar Association. During the event, we will present our contribution and publish the report we submitted to the European Commission.
SPEAKERS
A welcome address will be delivered by the Vice President of the Athens Bar Association, Alexandros Mantzoutsos.
The report will be presented by:
Stefanos Loukopoulos | Vouliwatch
Minos Mouzourakis | RSA
Short interventions by:
- Lambrini Gyftokosta | Homo Digitalis
- Elli Kriona-Saranti | HIAS
- Alexandros Konstantinou | GCR
- Danai Maragoudaki | Solomon
- Katerina Pournara | HLHR
- Thodoris Chondrogiannos | Reporters United
The event will be moderated by journalist Natasa Giamali (MEGA TV).
Tuesday, 4 February | 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM | Athens Bar Association (60 Akadimias St., Athens)
The Press Conference will be held in Greek.
We declare once again our unwavering support for Freedom of the Press in Greece against SLAPPs.
Since 2018, when Homo Digitalis began its actions aimed at defending and promoting Human Rights, we have proven our unwavering support for the Right to Personal Data Protection in significant cases with a strong impact on our societies, through important legal interventions and complaints before the competent supervisory authorities, standing against public and private entities that violate the provisions of Law 4624/2019.
However, unfortunately, the use of provisions related to the protection of personal data is often employed in a way that leads to significant challenges for freedom of expression and information and poses risks to our Democracy, even violating the exceptions provided by law.
Therefore, as a Civil Society organization, we would like to once again declare our unwavering support for Freedom of the Press. We stand by the journalists of Omnia TV and their investigative work, opposing SLAPP practices.
As explicitly stated in Law 4624/2019, Article 28, the right to personal data protection must be reconciled with the right to freedom of expression and information in the context of processing for journalistic purposes. Specifically, among other cases, such processing is allowed when the right to freedom of expression and the right to information outweigh the right to personal data protection, especially for matters of general public interest or when it concerns personal data of public figures. Additionally, within this framework, the processing is limited to what is necessary to ensure freedom of expression and the right to information, taking into account the subject’s right to privacy and family life.
With our stance, we must use the tools of legislation to safeguard and promote Human Rights, respecting the legal balances and limitations each time. The use of strategic lawsuits will never limit our Rights and Freedoms, as long as the competent judicial authorities fulfill their mission.
Our statement is also available in press release format here
We are granting our patronage to the 3RD IN-HOUSE LAWYERS FORUM
Once again, Homo Digitalis has the great honor and pleasure of granting its patronage to the 3RD IN-HOUSE LAWYERS FORUM, organized by CLEON Conferences & Communications on January 29th at the Divani Caravel Hotel in Athens!
Among the speakers, we were proud to have some of our members, in their professional capacity, including our Board Secretary, Stefanos Vitoratos!
We thank the organizers for the collaboration, including Mr. Grigorios Leontidis. You can learn more about the conference here.
Our organization voluntarily grants its patronage to selected actions, initiatives, and other events, aiming to actively support and promote initiatives related to the protection of digital rights. If you have relevant goals and are interested in a pro bono collaboration, please contact us at info@homodigitalis.gr.