CPJ, others condemn abusive lawsuits against Greek journalists who exposed spyware scandal

The Committee to Protect Journalists and six other international press freedom organizations issued a joint statement on Friday, November 22, 2024, condemning the ongoing legal actions against journalists who exposed Greece’s Predator spyware scandal and urged Greek authorities to swiftly implement the European Union’s anti-SLAPP Directive to strengthen protections for journalists amid the growing trend of such lawsuits.

Grigoris Dimitriadis, nephew of the Greek Prime Minister and former Secretary General of the Prime Minister’s Office, filed defamation lawsuits against reporters from several independent outlets following their “landmark reporting on the PredatorGate spyware scandal,” the statement said.

The statement said these lawsuits are “seen as retaliatory attempts to silence critical reporting on matters of significant public interest” and described these legal actions as Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), intended to intimidate journalists and suppress public interest reporting.

Read the statement here.