Greece: EFJ calls for Karaivaz’s murder not to go unpunished
On 5 July 2024, the Athens Court of First Instance will hold the start of the trial of suspects accused of murdering Greek investigative journalist Giorgos Karaivaz in 2021. The trial which was initially scheduled on 26 May 2024, must conclude by 28 October this year, when the suspects’ pre-trial detention ends. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its Greek affiliates (JUADN, ESIEMTH, PFJU, PEPU – ESPIT) welcome the steps taken to prosecute Karaivaz’s murder and urge authorities to conduct an independent and transparent investigation to ensure that all perpetrators are held to account, including those who ordered the killing.
On 9 April 2021, investigative journalist Giorgos Karaivaz was returning home from a daytime show on STAR TV when he was shot dead near his home in Alimos by professional killers who then fled on a motorbike. The suspects, two brothers, were apprehended in April 2023, one of them allegedly linked to a protection racket associated with the Greek mafia. Both have since been held in pretrial detention.
According to Greek media, the journalist was killed because he investigated police corruption and organised crime. He was also a key witness in a 2015-2017 investigation by the National Intelligence Service into corrupt police and sex/gambling rackets. Despite the forthcoming trial, the investigation is still ongoing as the Karaivaz family tries to find out who ordered the murder. The indictment alleges that the murder was a paid “contract killing” orchestrated by organised criminals.
“Attending the opening of the trial is of the utmost importance for the EFJ, first of all, to express our full solidarity with the family, whom I have met in Athens. Karaivaz was one of us and he was killed to silence his critical voice. I will attend the opening hearing and closely follow the verdict, which is expected on 31 July. The EFJ is counting on the court to ensure that this terrible murder does not go unpunished by prosecuting those responsible for shooting Karavaiz and those who ordered Karaivaz’s murder,” said EFJ President Maja Sever from Athens.
On 26 May 2024, the EFJ was already on site, when Karaivaz’s family lawyer requested that the trial be postponed. Although the public prosecutor and defence lawyers opposed the postponement, suggesting a short recess instead, the court finally agreed. Among the reasons, Karaivaz’s lawyer asked for more time to study the case file and present new crucial evidence, including a six-figure payment found in one of the accounts of the two main suspects. “This new evidence, could hopefully lead to the moral author of the crime,” told Karaivaz’s mother, lawyer Roi Pavlea, to the EFJ.
This trial comes at a crucial time when the Greek government must take decisive action to strengthen the protection of journalists and ensure accountability for past injustices, starting with justice for Karavaiz’s murder. As the EFJ recently pointed out with the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) coalition, Greece is the only EU member state with two unsolved cases of murdered journalists, including the murder of journalist Sokratis Giolias in 2010. Although the EFJ acknowledges the establishment of the Task Force for the Protection of Journalists in July 2022, the full implementation of measures recommended by the European Commission for the safety of journalists remains urgent.
