7/31/2019 Appeal to EU Institutions to Defend Free Expression in Greece

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An appeal by IFEX members in the EU & neighbourhood stateson behalf of Greek freedom of expression

To:

Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament Jos Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission tefan Fle, Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Copy to Antonis Samaras, Prime Minister of the Hellenic RepublicAs freedom of expression rights organisations based in the European Union member states,the nations of the European Neighbourhood Policy, Eastern Partnership and MediterraneanUnion and members of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), wewelcome the decision of an Athens court to acquit Greek investigative journalist KostasVaxevanis. Mr Vaxevanis had named alleged account holders in an offshore bank that hadbeen protected from tax investigation for two years.

Despite the positive outcome, we would still like to express our concern at the decision of theGreek authorities to bring Mr Vaxevanis to court and his treatment in the run up to thathearing. The charge should never have been made, let alone brought to court. We also notethat another Greek journalist, Spiros Karatzaferis, was also arrested this week on an old,unrelated criminal libel charge after claiming he would publish classified documents relatingto Greeces financial bailout.

We urge European Union institutions to make a clear stand in favour of freedom ofexpression and publication in the public interest in Greece. Under the Lisbon Treaty, thecompliance with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is legally binding on EU members.

This includes the right under Article 11 to receive and impart information and ideas withoutinterference by public authority and regardless of frontiers, and the obligation that that thefreedom and pluralism of the media shall be respected.

As the Commission itself noted in the context of implementing the Charter, the Union itselfmust be exemplary in order to: enable people living in the Union to enjoy the rights enshrinedin the charter; build mutual trust between EU countries; build public confidence in EUpolicies; improve credibility of EU external action on human rights.

7/31/2019 Appeal to EU Institutions to Defend Free Expression in Greece

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November5,2012

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We note the Union and the Commissions willingness to defend freedom of expression of themedia in the past, inside and outside the Union member states notably in using itscompetences in the case of Hungary in 2011 - and in its conditional relations with membersof the Eastern Partnership and Mediterranean Union.

Accordingly we call on the Council of Ministers, European Parliament and the EuropeanCommission to ensure that Greeces binding commitments to freedom of expression are notbreached by further pursuing Mr Vaxevanis or other journalists throughout the Greek courts,and there should be no successor attempt to penalise him or others for reporting issues ofpublic concern, including possible corruption or bureaucratic wrongdoing.

Respectfully yours

Association of Independent Electronic Media, SerbiaIndependent Journalism Center, Moldova

Index on Censorship, United Kingdom, International & EuropeanInitiative for Freedom of Expression, TurkeyInternational Press Institute, Austria, International & EuropeanPalestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms, Palestine

Reporters sans Frontires, France, International & EuropeanSouth East Europe Media Organisation, Austria & EuropeanSouth East European Network for Professionalization of Media, Hungary & EuropeanWorld Press Freedom Committee, France, International & European

For more information contact

Rohan JayasekeraDeputy CEO / Associate EditorIndex on CensorshipFree Word Centre60 Farringdon RoadLondon, EC1R 3GAUnited KingdomPhone: +44 (0) 20 7324 2522e-mail: rj@indexoncensorship.org