H. E. Konstantinos Simitis
Prime Minister of Greece
Athens
Greece

Vienna, 24 August 1998

Your Excellency

The International Press Institute (IPI) is most concerned about proposed legislation that would make broadcasting “slanderous and insulting matter” a criminal offence in Greece.

Under the legislation, proposed 18 August by Justice Minister Evangelos Yannopoulos, existing slander and libel laws would be expanded to include a minimum two-year sentence for radio and television journalists, as well as news editors, who insult a politician or a member of the public through the broadcast media.

We understand that Parliament has yet to approve the proposal and that no date for the vote has been set.

IPI, the global network of editors and media executives, maintains that journalists should be judged by civil libel laws and not by criminal statues. Legislation that makes libel, slander and defamation a criminal offence is unjustifiable in a democratic society and a violation of Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees the right to freedom of opinion and expression. General laws against libel, slander and defamation are sufficient protection against unjust attack. They should be civil – not criminal – in nature and should provide for demonstrable damages only. We therefore urge Your Excellency’s government to reconsider the issue before proceeding with the submission of a draft bill that would entail a clear attempt to throttle free expression in Greece.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Johann P. Fritz
Director