Πολ Μέισον / Στο πλευρό Βαξεβάνη-Παπαδάκου ο βραβευμένος Βρετανός δημοσιογράφος
Στο πλευρό του Κώστα Βαξεβάνη και της Ιωάννας Παπαδάκου για τις διώξεις σε βάρος τους για τα ρεπορτάζ τους στο σκάνδαλο Novartis, στέκεται ο βραβευμένος Βρετανός δημοσιογράφος και συγγραφέας Πολ Μέισον.
Σε ανάρτησή του στο Twitter, με αφορμή το ηχηρό ράπισμα στην κυβέρνηση από οκτώ διεθνείς οργανώσεις Τύπου, ο Πολ Μέισον κάνει λόγο για «νομική παρενόχληση» των δύο ερευνητικών δημοσιογράφων. «Χρειαζόμαστε τη μέγιστη υποστήριξη για να κρατήσουμε αυτούς τους κρίσιμους, έμπειρους Έλληνες δημοσιογράφους εκτός φυλακής για τις αποκαλύψεις τους για τη διαφθορά» υπογραμμίζει.
Paul Mason
Greece: Concern over criminal charges against investigative reporters
International media freedom groups following case closely
The International Press Institute (IPI) was today joined by the undersigned media freedom and freedom of expression organisations in registering their concern over the serious criminal charges levelled against two investigative journalists in Greece linked to their reporting on a major corruption scandal. Our organisations are following these two legal cases with utmost scrutiny given the obvious concerns they raise with regard to press freedom. Authorities must issue guarantees that the process is demonstrably independent and free of any political interference.
On January 19, Kostas Vaxevanis, a veteran investigative journalist and publisher of the newspaper Documento, testified at the Special High Court on four criminal charges of conspiracy to abuse power through his newspaper’s reporting on the Novartis pharmaceutical scandal. Under the penal code, Vaxevanis faces five years of imprisonment if found guilty, with a maximum sentence of 20 years. His newspaper has condemned the criminal charges as a politically motivated attack aimed at silencing a media critic which unveiled the scandal.
Ioanna Papadakou, a former investigative journalist and television host, is set to appear before a court on January 25 on separate but similar charges of being part of a criminal organisation which conspired to fabricate news stories about the Novartis case and the so-called “Lagarde list”, including the alleged extortion of a businessman through critical coverage. Papadakou has rejected the case as “blatant violation of the rule of law”. A Greek MEP from the ruling party and the Board of Directors of the Panhellenic Federation of Journalists’ Union (POESY – PFJU) have both expressed concern about the prosecution of the journalists. Neither journalist has yet been formally indicted.
The summons of Vaxevanis and Papadakou to testify are part of a wider parliamentary investigation into allegations of political conspiracy and abuse of power involving Greek judge and politician Dimitris Papagelopoulos, a former deputy minister in the previous Syriza government. Papagelopoulos is accused of falsely incriminating political opponents through the Novartis pharmaceutical scandal. The probe, launched by the current New Democracy government, has in turn faced accusations of politicisation.
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