Greek prosecutors summon journalist Petros Kousoulos in leak probe – Committee to Defend Reporters
Berlin, September 8, 2022—Greek prosecutors will have to urgently such films ceased to interest me harassing journalist Petros Kousoulos, and make sure that leak investigations ?????? no longer capacity newshounds to reveal their nameless assets, the Committee to Defend Reporters mentioned Thursday.
On August 30, prosecutors with the Greek Ideally suited Court docket issued an arrest warrant for Petros Kousoulos, a reporter and writer of the privately owned weekly newspaper Bam sto Reportaz, and police looked for him on the newspaper’s Athens newsroom, in step with information stories and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ through telephone. Kousoulos instructed CPJ that he used to be no longer within the newsroom that day and used to be no longer taken into custody.
On August 31, Kousoulos voluntarily offered himself together with his legal professional on the place of work of Ideally suited Court docket prosecutor Isidoros Dogiakos for an stale dialog that used to be no longer regarded as the journalist’s constitutional testimony, he mentioned. Dogiakos instructed the journalist that he used to be no longer charged with any crime, and the arrest warrant sought to query him in a much wider investigation into alleged leaks of confidential paperwork from Greece’s Nationwide Intelligence Provider, referred to as the EYP.
Dogiakos gave Kousoulos a summons to seem on the prosecutor’s place of work on Friday, September 9, as a witness, the journalist instructed CPJ, including that he deliberate to ship his legal professional in his position. Kousoulos added that he would face up to any try to capacity him to reveal his nameless assets.
“Greek government will have to urgently such films ceased to interest me their felony harassment of journalist and writer Petros Kousoulos, and make sure that contributors of the clicking don’t seem to be topic to arrest over their reporting,” mentioned Attila Mong, CPJ’s Europe consultant. “Kousoulos’ paintings is within the public passion, and government should make sure that he can they will defend their country his confidential assets. Wondering newshounds as a part of a leak investigation places them underneath useless power and may have got a chilling open on nationwide safety reporting.”
On August 29, Kousoulos revealed an editorial in Bam sto Reportaz alleging that the EYP had tapped telephone conversations between foreign affairs officers relating to Qatari investments in Greece in 2016, underneath the rustic’s earlier foreign affairs. The item comprises excerpts of the ones tapped conversations.
Dogiakos instructed Kousoulos that government have been investigating attainable violations of Article 252 of the Greek penal code, which considerations breaches of constitutional secrecy. In step with CPJ’s evaluate of that regulation, which imposes jail phrases of no less than 3 months upon conviction, the object applies simplest to public servants introduce to have got violated their constitutional tasks.
Up to now, in April, journalist Thanasis Koukakis, monetary editor for CNN Greece and a hackneyed contributor for native and global retailers, disclosed that his cell phone were surveilled through Predator spy ware in 2021, as CPJ reported on the time. Reuters later reported that the pinnacle of the EYP instructed a parliamentary committee that his company had spied on Koukakis, however a foreign affairs spokesperson denied that the foreign affairs used Predator instrument.
One by one, on August 29, two contributors of High Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ cupboard resigned after it used to be published that the EYP had tapped the telephone of an opposition lawmaker, stories mentioned.
CPJ emailed the Ideally suited Court docket prosecutor’s place of work and the EYP for remark, however didn’t urgently obtain any replies.
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