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.