Greek journalist gunned down near Athens

[Prolet]

Things are getting ugly in Greece

Monday, 19 July 2010

Gunmen shot and killed a Greek journalist early Monday in front of his home near Athens, before fleeing in a car, police said.

At least three unknown assailants fired at the journalist, Socratis Guiolas, around 5:20 am (0320 GMT), killing the 35-year-old instantly, police said.

According to initial reports, the gunmen asked the journalist to come out of his house, claiming someone had stolen his car, and then opened fire with an automatic weapon. Some 20 cartridges were found at the scene.

Investigators say they are looking into all possible motives for the killing, including whether this was done by criminals or was he targeted by extremists.

http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/16084/1/

[Soldier of Macedon]

I heard about this on the radio this morning, the report spoke of this journalist as one ready to leak even more information about Greece's corruption, hence the reason why he was killed.

[Risto the Great]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-10684185

A Greek investigative journalist has been shot dead outside his home in Athens in an attack linked by police to leftist militants.

Sokratis Giolias, 37, was shot more than 15 times in the Athens neighbourhood of Ilioupoli.

According to colleagues, he had been about to publish the results of an investigation into corruption.

Police said ballistics tests tied the killers' guns to previous attacks by the Sect of Revolutionaries.

They had initially discounted the idea that leftist militants might have killed Mr Giolias.

The Sect of Revolutionaries (SR) has threatened members of the media in the past. Last year they attacked the headquarters of private broadcaster Alter TV, without causing any injuries.

No group has yet said it was behind the killing of Mr Giolias.
'Summoned into street'

Mr Giolias was head of news at private Athens radio station Thema FM, and wrote on a popular news blog, called Troktiko.

"Somebody wanted to silence a very good investigative reporter who had stepped on a lot of toes with his stories," said Panos Sobolos, president of the Athens journalists' union.

Greece's parliamentary speaker Philippos Petsalnikos expressed "outrage and grief at this heinous and murderous act".

The BBC's Malcolm Brabant in Athens says while gangland murders are frequent occurrences in Greece, attacks on journalists are rare.

The last such murder was in the mid-1980s, when the guerrilla group November 17 killed a conservative newspaper publisher.

Mr Giolias was apparently killed by a professional hit team, our correspondent says.

Police are looking for two or three gunmen who, masquerading as security personnel, and wearing bullet-proof vests, called at the journalist's apartment and summoned him into the street on Monday morning, he says.

Their getaway car was later found abandoned and burned.
Threat to media

"The ballistic investigation showed that the guns used in the assassination today... have been used in attacks claimed by the Sect of Revolutionaries," police said in a statement.

Emerging after the riots which raged in Greece in December 2008, the group said it had killed an anti-terrorist police officer who was shot dead in June 2009.

After the gun and bomb attack on Alter TV, the group accused the media of manufacturing news and attempting to ensure the public remained obedient to the state.

"Journalists, this time we came to your door, but next time you will find us in your homes," SR said.

Very disturbing.

[Bill77]

It doesn't make sense the Leftist killed this journalist who was about to expose more evidence of corruption by the government.

I think its a government job and the good old "lets blame and frame the easy target". a win win situation. It smells like the CBS News correspondent George Polk incident back in May 16, 1948.

[Prolet]

Bill, Pasok are a left wing government arnt they?

[Bill77]

Bill, Pasok are a left wing government arnt they?

According to wiki they are centre left. The Group that are accused according to the article are "The Sect of Revolutionaries (SR)" which sounds be be far left. I don't know much about Ideologies or Greek political parties. I am reading and learning as i'm going on.

[Rogi]

Bill, Pasok are a left wing government arnt they?

Given that Papandreu was President of Socialist International, I would think so.

[johnMKD]

According to wiki they are centre left. The Group that are accused according to the article are "The Sect of Revolutionaries (SR)" which sounds be be far left. I don't know much about Ideologies or Greek political parties. I am reading and learning as i'm going on.

Given that Papandreu was President of Socialist International, I would think so.

Pasok was founded as a centre left party. However, during the last two decades it's been evolved into a more right-centre party, equal in all terms to the traditional right-centre party of Nea Dimokratia, which was the ruling party until late 2009. "Socialist" is only what remains in Pasok's name to remind of it's foundation as a centre-left party.

[Rogi]

John,

Scandal and corruption aside, on its' core policies alone, PASOK is still very much a centre-left party and the reason why Greece is such a welfare state.

[johnMKD]

John,

Scandal and corruption aside, on its' core policies alone, PASOK is still very much a centre-left party and the reason why Greece is such a welfare state.

Rogi, allow me to have a different opinion about Pasok, since I've lived in Greece most of my life.The welfare of Greece was due to a steady income from the EU and the overall global development, not because of Pasok. When this income started to decline, both Pasok and Nea Dimokratia demonstrated very effectively that they are one and the same since they share same views and policies in almost all aspects of politics (inside Greece and its relationships with other countries).

[vodenka]

This journalist was also a nationalist blogger who, it is been said, used the blog to blackmail politicians and businessmen. It seems his murder has more to do with corruption and blackmail than politics.

[Phoenix]

This journalist was also a nationalist blogger who, it is been said, used the blog to blackmail politicians and businessmen. It seems his murder has more to do with corruption and blackmail than politics.

corruption and blackmail = politics in greece

[CA_RO]

Greece's Dilemma's

I do not want to interfere in Greece's problems. However I firstly want to give my condolences to Mr. Guiolas family on the sudden but aggravated death of Journliast Mr. Guiolas.

It is indeed absolutely no way to loose a life.

I also laud the fact that Journalist Guiolas is uncovering stories about Greece's worsening corruption situation. This is very important in all Democracies that stories like this are uncovered and put in the spotlight for the public good of the nation.

Some of the readers on this forum may or may not know that Romania is subjected to constant EU monitoring under the CVM mechanism. This also entails 6 month reports from the European Commission that assesses Romania's capabilities on fighting corruption - not organized crime. There is a substantial difference between the two undesirables.

The words CVM are lengthed to the following words:

Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification

I have one slight objection to Romania being imposed this mechanism. My reason for this single objection is that a country like Greece which is now the most corrupt member of the EU by Transparency International and with organized crime and terrorist networks in Greece that are growing and growing further and further out of control - as evidence in recent times suggest - is not subjected to the EU's CVM.

I feel that there is double standards in the EU in the way it treats some of its Member States - the most striking example I have listed below.

I would like to point out that Romania is the most corrupt member of the EU alongside Greece and Bulgaria however Romania does not have organized crime let alone terrorist/anarchist group problems. That is absent in Romanian society.

You never hear of a Romanian journalist being gunned down outside their house or a terrorist group running amok in the streets of Cluj Napoca.

Romania is a very safe and peaceful member of the European Union despite our problems in corruption and tackling the economic crisis.

I would hope that when people read this thread that they will realize the substantial difference in the societies between Romania and Greece and realize the even more overwhelming difference in the criminal/anarchist and terrorist areas between Romania and Greece.

NB: European Commission implemented the CVM upon the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the European Union in 2007 as recommended by the European Council and approved by the European Parliament

[Risto the Great]

Good point CA_RO. Consistency is they key and I have no doubt that Macedonia would be subjected to the same conditions as Romania and Bulgaria if they were ever stupid enough to join the EU.

[Pelister]

CA_RO,

Good point. CVM should also be applied to Greece. Why doesn't the E.U have the same kind of power over issues relating to the protection of minorities? mmm.