(GHM/IFEX) – On 21 September 1998, a three-member Misdemeanor Court of Salonica sentenced “Avriani” newspaper publisher George Kouris, editor George Tsiroyannis and journalist Stelios Vorinas to 4 years and 11 months of prison. They were convicted for aggravated defamation and insult of Yannis Raptopoulos, owner of “Express Service,” a roadside assistance company; Raptopoulos also owns […]
(GHM/IFEX) – On 21 September 1998, a three-member Misdemeanor Court of
Salonica sentenced “Avriani” newspaper publisher George Kouris, editor
George Tsiroyannis and journalist Stelios Vorinas to 4 years and 11 months
of prison. They were convicted for aggravated defamation and insult of
Yannis Raptopoulos, owner of “Express Service,” a roadside assistance
company; Raptopoulos also owns the Salonica newspapers “Makedonia” and
“Thessaloniki”, while Kouris owns the rival newspaper “Nea Makedonia”.
The incriminating articles were published on 31 December 1997, 2 January
1998 and 3 January 1998. Raptopoulos’ lawyers told Greek Helsinki Monitor
that Kouris had previously been convicted to huge fines by civil courts for
articles deemed defamatory, but he has always managed to avoid paying them
because of the hazy and ever changing legal ownership of his newspapers.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to Foreign Minister Papandreou:
explicitly defamatory articles
which are now pending before appeals courts
Appeals To
Mr. George Papandreou
Alternate Foreign Minister
Athens, Greece
Fax: +30 1 3394195
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
