Latest news with #KyriakosMitsotakis'
Reuters
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Press freedom stifled in Greece, reforms needed, says Human Rights Watch
ATHENS, May 8 (Reuters) - Press freedom has been stifled in Greece since Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' conservative government came to power in 2019, with phone malware and aggressive lawsuits used against journalists, Human Rights Watch said in a report on Thursday. At least 15 journalists said they had at some point faced a lawsuit or legal threat for their reporting, the global rights group said in a 101-page report, opens new tab based on interviews with 34 journalists, academics, legal and media experts. It cited an annual index, opens new tab from Reporters without Borders giving Greece the lowest score in Europe. HRW said it is too easy under Greek law to restrict journalists through lawsuits know as SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation), which are filed against reporters based on claims of defamation or breach of EU data protection. "The pervasive and deliberate constraints on journalism in Greece are creating an environment in which critical reporting is stifled and self-censorship becomes the norm," said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at HRW. The government has publicly dismissed the allegations in the past and its spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis said on Wednesday that Greece has made progress on media freedom, as reflected in the Commission's annual report, opens new tab on rule of law. The topic of press freedom in Greece hit the headlines in 2022 when a wiretapping scandal was revealed after a journalist said his phone had been infected by spyware. Traces of that spyware were later found in dozens of phones. HRW urged authorities to draft an action plan to include ensuring public media independence, adopting anti-SLAPPs legislation and shielding journalists from surveillance.
Reuters
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Greek government survives confidence vote over deadly 2023 train crash, clashes erupt
ATHENS, March 7 - Greece's centre-right government on Friday survived a no-confidence vote over a deadly 2023 train crash, as protests flared demanding political accountability over Greece's worst rail disaster. Centre-left, leftist and independent lawmakers on Wednesday submitted a motion saying the government had lost its popular mandate, a week after hundreds of thousands took to the streets demanding justice for the 57 victims in the crash, most of them students. It was the biggest protest in Greece in years. The opposition has accused Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' government of shirking responsibility over the crash, failing to fix critical in the railway, and covering up evidence that would help shed light into the causes of the disaster. The government, which was re-elected after the train crash in 2023 and controls 156 seats in the 300-seat parliament, has denied any wrongdoing. A majority of 157 lawmakers rejected the motion on Friday night. Just before the vote, Mitsotakis ruled out an early election, saying the country - which is emerging from a debt crisis - would reward his economic policy. "In 2027, the Greek people will confirm once again their confidence in our government, as our parliamentary group will confirm its confidence in the government today," he said. Thousands of protesters rallied peacefully in central Athens as the debate progressed. When Mitsotakis took the floor in the chamber, three people shouted "Shame" before being removed by security. Outside parliament, clashes broke out between hooded demonstrators who hurled petrol bombs at police that responded with teargas to disperse them. The train crash has become one of the biggest challenges for the government since it came to power, hurting its approval ratings. It has also fuelled anger among Greeks over the immunity politicians enjoy under the constitution. A judicial investigation into the train crash is in progress. To appease the public, Mitsotakis told parliament that ahead of a constitutional amendment, he would propose an edit of the article that protects politicians from prosecution. He also reiterated a pledge to increase wages. This week he promised to modernise the railway by 2027.
Express Tribune
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Hundreds of thousands protest in Greece on train crash anniversary as clashes erupt in Athens
A Molotov cocktail ignites, striking a riot police officer, at a protest near the Greek parliament, marking the second anniversary of the country's worst railway disaster, as an investigation continues, in Athens, Greece, February 28. PHOTO: REUTERS Listen to article Protesters hurled petrol bombs and set fire to trash cans in Athens on Friday as hundreds of thousands of Greeks went on strike and took to the streets in nationwide demonstrations on the second anniversary of the country's deadliest train crash. Fifty-seven people were killed when a passenger train filled with students collided with a freight train on February 28, 2023 in central Greece. The accident has become a painful emblem of the perceived neglect of the country's infrastructure in the decades before the crash and the two years since. 'The government hasn't done anything to get justice,' said Christos Main, 57, a musician at the Athens rally. 'This wasn't an accident, it was murder,' he said. In one of the biggest protests in Greece in years, public services and many private businesses were brought to a halt and people poured into the streets of cities and towns chanting 'murderers' against what they say is the state's role in the disaster. The government denies wrongdoing. A sea of people descended onto Athens' Syntagma Square in front of parliament, where protesters spray-painted the names of the dead in red on the ground. The slogan 'I have no oxygen' – a woman's last words in a call to emergency services - echoed in chants across the country. The Athens protest was peaceful until a group of hooded youths hurled petrol bombs at police and tried to storm the barricades of the parliament building. Riot police fired tear gas and water cannon and cat-and-mouse clashes then spread into the surrounding neighbourhoods. Clashes also broke out in Greece's second city, Thessaloniki, where a giant crowd choked the centre and people released black balloons into the sky in memory of the dead. More than 80 people were detained and five were injured in Athens alone, authorities said. Political threat Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' centre-right government, which won re-election after the crash in 2023, has faced repeated criticism by relatives of the victims for failing to initiate a parliamentary inquiry into political responsibility. The government says it is up to the judiciary to investigate the accident. In a Facebook post on Friday, Mitsotakis said his government would work to modernise the railway network and make it safer. 'That night, we saw the ugliest face of the country in the national mirror,' he wrote of the night of the crash. 'Fatal human errors met with chronic state inadequacies.' The safety gaps that caused the crash have not been filled two years on, a state inquiry found on Thursday. A separate judicial investigation remains unfinished and no one has been convicted in the accident. Opposition parties have accused the government of covering up evidence and urged it to step down. Next week, parliament is expected to debate whether to set up a committee to investigate possible political responsibility in the disaster. Protestors said they have waited too long. Anastasia Plakia, who lost two sisters and a cousin in the crash, posted a photo on Facebook of the four of them smiling together in a restaurant: '730 days without you; 730 days of sadness, pain and rage,' the post said. General strike All international and domestic flights were grounded as air traffic controllers joined seafarers, train drivers, doctors, lawyers and teachers in a 24-hour general strike to pay tribute to the victims of the crash. Businesses were shut and theatres cancelled performances. In a survey carried out this week by Pulse pollsters, 82% of Greeks asked said the train disaster was 'one of the most' or 'the most' important issue in the country and 66% said they were dissatisfied with the investigations into the accident. 'Every day, the monster of corrupt power appears before us,' Maria Karystianou, whose daughter died in the crash and who heads an association of victims' families, told the crowd in Athens Students shouted 'Text me when you get there,' - the final message many of the victims' relatives sent them. A cardboard sign read: 'Greece kills its children.' 'We're here because we're parents… tomorrow it might be our children,' said Litsa, a 45-year-old nurse.
CNN
28-02-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Hundreds of thousands protest across Greece over deadly train crash
Hundreds of thousands of people rallied in cities and towns across Greece on Friday to demand justice on the second anniversary of the country's deadliest-ever train crash, and striking workers grounded flights and halted sea and train transport. Fifty-seven people were killed when a passenger train filled with students collided with a freight train on February 28, 2023, near the Tempi gorge in central Greece. Two years later, the safety gaps that caused the crash have not been filled, an inquiry found on Thursday. A separate judicial investigation remains unfinished and no one has been convicted in the accident. Mass demonstrations were planned in dozens of cities across the country. All international and domestic flights were grounded as air traffic controllers joined seafarers, train drivers, doctors, lawyers and teachers in a 24-hour general strike to pay tribute to the victims of the crash. Businesses were shut and theatres canceled performances. By early morning, tens of thousands had gathered in Syntagma Square in the center of Athens, watched by police in riot gear. A sign read: 'Government of murderers.' Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' center-right government, which won re-election after the crash in 2023, has faced repeated criticism by relatives of the victims for failing to initiate a parliamentary inquiry into political responsibility. The government denies wrongdoing and says it is up to the judiciary to investigate the accident. Friday's protests reflected mounting anger over the disaster in Greece, where mistrust of government is common following a 2009-2018 debt crisis in which millions lost out on wages and pensions, and public services suffered from underfunding.' The government hasn't done anything to get justice,' said Christos Main, 57, a musician at the Athens rally. 'This wasn't an accident, it was murder,' he said. Another protester, who gave her name as Evi, said she was there to mourn the dead, 'but also because the government has tried to cover things up'.The names of those killed were spray-painted in red on the ground in front of the parliament building. In the suburbs of Athens, groups of all ages made their way downtown with placards reading 'I have no oxygen,' a slogan of the protests echoing a woman's last words in a call to emergency services. Many pupils went to class dressed in black, a symbol of mourning. Others held up black balloons. In a Facebook post on Friday, Mitsotakis said his government would work to modernize the railway network and make it safer.' That night, we saw the ugliest face of the country in the national mirror,' he wrote of the night of the crash. 'Fatal human errors met with chronic state inadequacies.' Opposition parties have accused the government of covering up evidence and urged it to step down. Next week, parliament is expected to debate whether to set up a committee to investigate possible political responsibility in the disaster. In a survey carried out this week by Pulse pollsters, 82% of Greeks asked said the train disaster was 'one of the most' or 'the most' important issue in the country and 66% said they were dissatisfied with the investigations into the accident. In Athens, students chanted 'Text me when you get there,' - the final message many of the victims' relatives sent them.'We're here because we're parents… tomorrow it might be our children,' said Litsa, a 45-year old nurse.
CNN
28-02-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Hundreds of thousands protest across Greece over deadly train crash
Hundreds of thousands of people rallied in cities and towns across Greece on Friday to demand justice on the second anniversary of the country's deadliest-ever train crash, and striking workers grounded flights and halted sea and train transport. Fifty-seven people were killed when a passenger train filled with students collided with a freight train on February 28, 2023, near the Tempi gorge in central Greece. Two years later, the safety gaps that caused the crash have not been filled, an inquiry found on Thursday. A separate judicial investigation remains unfinished and no one has been convicted in the accident. Mass demonstrations were planned in dozens of cities across the country. All international and domestic flights were grounded as air traffic controllers joined seafarers, train drivers, doctors, lawyers and teachers in a 24-hour general strike to pay tribute to the victims of the crash. Businesses were shut and theatres canceled performances. By early morning, tens of thousands had gathered in Syntagma Square in the center of Athens, watched by police in riot gear. A sign read: 'Government of murderers.' Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' center-right government, which won re-election after the crash in 2023, has faced repeated criticism by relatives of the victims for failing to initiate a parliamentary inquiry into political responsibility. The government denies wrongdoing and says it is up to the judiciary to investigate the accident. Friday's protests reflected mounting anger over the disaster in Greece, where mistrust of government is common following a 2009-2018 debt crisis in which millions lost out on wages and pensions, and public services suffered from underfunding.' The government hasn't done anything to get justice,' said Christos Main, 57, a musician at the Athens rally. 'This wasn't an accident, it was murder,' he said. Another protester, who gave her name as Evi, said she was there to mourn the dead, 'but also because the government has tried to cover things up'.The names of those killed were spray-painted in red on the ground in front of the parliament building. In the suburbs of Athens, groups of all ages made their way downtown with placards reading 'I have no oxygen,' a slogan of the protests echoing a woman's last words in a call to emergency services. Many pupils went to class dressed in black, a symbol of mourning. Others held up black balloons. In a Facebook post on Friday, Mitsotakis said his government would work to modernize the railway network and make it safer.' That night, we saw the ugliest face of the country in the national mirror,' he wrote of the night of the crash. 'Fatal human errors met with chronic state inadequacies.' Opposition parties have accused the government of covering up evidence and urged it to step down. Next week, parliament is expected to debate whether to set up a committee to investigate possible political responsibility in the disaster. In a survey carried out this week by Pulse pollsters, 82% of Greeks asked said the train disaster was 'one of the most' or 'the most' important issue in the country and 66% said they were dissatisfied with the investigations into the accident. In Athens, students chanted 'Text me when you get there,' - the final message many of the victims' relatives sent them.'We're here because we're parents… tomorrow it might be our children,' said Litsa, a 45-year old nurse.
