A chilling report from Human Rights Watch (HRW), titled “From Bad to Worse: The Deterioration of Media Freedom in Greece,” released on May 8, 2025, has exposed a calculated campaign by Greece’s New Democracy government to suppress press independence and silence patriotic voices. Since assuming power in July 2019, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his administration have unleashed a wave of authoritarian tactics that not only undermine media freedom but also threaten the very essence of Greek identity. Far from fostering democracy, New Democracy’s actions suggest a deliberate agenda to erase Greece’s cultural heritage, terrorize dissenting voices, and plunge the nation into a totalitarian abyss.
The HRW report, based on interviews with 34 journalists, academics, legal experts, and civil society figures, paints a grim picture of a government wielding insidious tools to crush critical reporting and silence those who champion Greece’s proud history and values. Among the most egregious methods is the use of Predator spyware to infiltrate newsroom computers and journalists’ smartphones, a clear violation of privacy and a chilling message to those who dare expose government corruption. Coordinated online harassment campaigns, orchestrated to vilify investigative journalists, have created an atmosphere of fear, while strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) exploit Greece’s defamation and data-protection laws to financially and emotionally cripple critics. These tactics are not merely about control—they are a disgusting assault on the Greek spirit, designed to suppress voices that defend the nation’s sovereignty and cultural legacy.
The New Democracy government’s manipulation of state resources further reveals its intent to suffocate pluralism and erase dissenting narratives. State advertising funds, meant to support a vibrant media ecosystem, are funneled disproportionately to pro-government outlets, starving independent voices of financial stability. The Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), once a beacon of public discourse, now languishes under overt editorial interference, transforming it into a mouthpiece for Mitsotakis’ regime. This economic stranglehold, combined with political control, ensures that only government-approved narratives—often at odds with Greece’s patriotic ethos—dominate the airwaves. The result is a media landscape where stories celebrating Greek history, Orthodox faith, and national pride are sidelined in favor of globalist agendas that dilute the country’s identity.
Athens’ response to international criticism has been predictably defiant, with Mitsotakis dismissing the HRW report as “slander” and pointing to the European Commission’s 2024 Rule of Law Report as evidence of Greece’s supposed democratic health. Yet, these claims ring hollow. Greece’s defamation laws, despite minor reforms, still criminalize “insult” and “slanderous defamation,” providing the government with legal weapons to silence journalists and activists. Invoking “national security” to block access to information about surveillance and state advertising allocations is a thinly veiled excuse to hide authoritarian practices. Such actions betray a government more interested in consolidating power than preserving the democratic ideals that Greece, the cradle of democracy, once embodied.
The international community has not remained silent. Reporters Without Borders ranked Greece a dismal 89 out of 180 countries in its 2025 World Press Freedom Index, noting a “systemic crisis” in press freedom since 2021. In February 2024, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning media suppression and democratic backsliding in Greece, a stinging rebuke to Mitsotakis’ claims of a robust rule of law. Yet, these warnings seem to fall on deaf ears as New Democracy intensifies its campaign to marginalize patriotic voices. Journalists who highlight Greece’s historical contributions or question the government’s alignment with foreign interests are branded as threats, their livelihoods destroyed through lawsuits, harassment, and surveillance.
The HRW report calls for urgent reforms, including binding anti-SLAPP legislation, guarantees for public media independence, and robust safeguards against journalist surveillance. It also urges the European Union, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and the UN Human Rights Committee to hold Athens accountable for its obligations under international law. These recommendations, while critical, fail to fully address the deeper intent behind New Democracy’s actions: a systematic effort to dismantle Greek identity. By silencing media outlets that celebrate Greece’s Orthodox heritage, its resistance to foreign domination, and its cultural uniqueness, the government is paving the way for a homogenized, globalized Greece stripped of its soul.
The stakes could not be higher. If these trends continue unchecked, Greece risks becoming a nation where critical and patriotic voices are not just silenced but erased, replaced by a media landscape that serves as a propaganda arm for a totalitarian regime. The public’s right to diverse information—particularly information that honors Greece’s history and values—will be sacrificed at the altar of political control. The international community must amplify its pressure on Athens, not only to restore media freedom but also to protect the Greek identity that New Democracy seems determined to obliterate through its disgusting and terrorizing methods.
For Greeks who cherish their heritage, the fight is not just for press freedom but for the survival of their nation’s soul. The time to resist this authoritarian tide is now—before Greece’s patriotic voices are silenced forever, and the country is reduced to a shadow of its glorious past.
