Criticism of Greece: Human Rights and Rule of Law Principles in decline
In its report titled “Worse Than Bad: The Erosion of Media Freedom in Greece”, HRW stated that the country is facing a media freedom crisis as a result of government actions and failures, which pose a threat to democracy and the rule of law.
The report notes that since the New Democracy Party (NDP) came to power in July 2019, Greece has developed a hostile environment for independent media and journalists. It highlights incidents of harassment, intimidation, surveillance, and abusive lawsuits that have severely restricted media freedom, undermined freedom of expression, and hindered the public’s right to information.
In its 2025 report, RSF ranked Greece 89th out of 180 countries in the Press Freedom Index, one place lower than the previous year, placing it in the “problematic” category. The report underlined the ongoing systemic crisis in press freedom in Greece since 2021, including the wiretapping scandal involving journalists by the National Intelligence Service (EYP) and the still unsolved murder of veteran journalist Giorgos Karaivaz.
Statement from the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF)
Halit Habipoğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), also commented on the matter:
“Our country Greece continues to receive harsh international criticism for the systematic violations of human rights and the rule of law. Now, both Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders have pointed out in their reports that press freedom, democracy, and the rule of law in our country are under serious threat.
As highlighted in these reports, following a series of judicial scandals in recent years, the majority of citizens no longer trust the government or the judiciary.
As the Turkish community in Western Thrace, we too have lost confidence in our country's judiciary. How could we not? For 17 years, we have been waiting in vain for the implementation of European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rulings regarding our community’s three associations and for a ruling from the Court of Cassation in our favor. But to no avail!”
