MFRR in Focus: Under illegal surveillance - the Greek ’Predatorgate’

Press freedom in Greece, the birthplace of democracy, faces serious challenges. In recent years, media freedom in Greece has deteriorated significantly. During this period, Greece witnessed a crime reporter's brazen daytime assassination, multiple arson attacks on media offices, numerous vexatious lawsuits against the press, and criminal charges against media outlets reporting on a major pharmaceutical scandal, among other incidents.

This podcast episode focuses on a significant attack on press freedom in Greece: the illegal surveillance of a journalist using spyware. We will discuss with reporter Thanasis Koukakis, who had his phone hacked using the advanced spyware tool, Predator. This marked the first confirmed case in the world of a journalist falling victim to this little-known hacking tool. Additionally, Koukakis was separately wiretapped by Greek security services on "national security" grounds.

Guest: Journalist Thanasis Koukakis.

Producer and Host: Ronja Koskinen, Press Freedom Officer at IPI.

Editor: Ronja Koskinen, Press Freedom Officer at IPI and Javier Luque, Head of Digital Communications at IPI.