The Greek blogger and journalist Giorgos Karaivaz was gunned down in front of his home. Investigators hope to learn more about the alleged murderer from his work.
After the brutal murder of a Greek journalist and blogger in Athens last Friday, the investigation is focused on the victim’s work. The 52-year-old Giorgos Karaivaz was known as a police reporter and, according to media reports, was well networked in the underworld due to his work. He had written several times that criminal gangs in Greece had become so strong that they even had an influence on personnel decisions within the police. It is now believed that his contacts and reporting were his undoing.
Karaivaz was shot dead by two men in front of his house in the Athens district of Alimos on Friday afternoon. According to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, the autopsy revealed that he was hit by a total of ten bullets, six in the chest, two in the head, one in the neck and one in the palm. Cameras near the crime scene are currently being evaluated in order to find out more about the perpetrators. Investigators also analyze Karaivaz’s blog, cell phone and computer.
There are reports of concern that the perpetrators may be foreign contract killers who have already fled abroad. According to the Citizens’ Protection Ministry, however, the authorities have now ruled out a terrorist background. At first, the case was reminiscent of the murder of the journalist Sokratis Giolias, who was killed with 16 shots eleven years ago – also in front of his house. At that time, a left-wing extremist Greek terrorist organization took responsibility for the attack.
Von der Leyen: “Freedom of the press is perhaps the most sacred of all”
On Saturday, the Greek minister for civil protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis, promised to quickly find the culprits. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also made the case a top priority. There were also international reactions, for example EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the act on Twitter as “despicable and cowardly”. Europe stands for freedom. “And freedom of the press is perhaps the most sacred of all. Journalists must be able to work safely.”
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic, urged the authorities to investigate the crime urgently and fully and to ensure that those responsible are held accountable. She wrote on Twitter that the killing of Karaivaz was a tragic reminder that journalism was a dangerous profession in Europe.
– .
