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Shock: Greek Court jails Journalists for Misinforming on Macedonians
For the first time ever, a Greek Court in Solun punished a Director and a journalist from the state run Greek Radio for misinformation and spreading hatred towards a minority. The case had been pending for more than two years, however the final verdict was delivered this week.
Dimitris Kapselis based in Solun and Kokos Telemahos from Lerin, both employed at Greece's state run radio service will spend five months in jail and be placed three years on probation after Pavle Voskopulous sued them back in 2007 for misinformation and personal attacks against himself and Vinozito (ethnic Macedonian party).
The lawsuit started when Maja Tsakli in a documentary titled "Traveling through Greece" dared to show ethnic Macedonians. In it, Mrs. Tsakli points out the "people who live in and around Lerin (Florina) prefer to speak Macedonian, though they also speak Greek".
This statement caused the abovementioned journalist to attack Mrs. Tsakli as well as Mr Voskopulous who was interviewed in the documentary, calling them "Skopje agents", "separatists", "Anti-Greek leaders"...
This isn't the first time ethnic Macedonians or Greeks are called "Skopje agents" for having different opinions than the state sponsored opinion of "no Macedonians in Greece".
Pavle Voskopulous was clearly surprised by the verdict and expressed his appreciation to the Court in Solun. He added that this perhaps was a small justice for all the years he had been called "Skopje agent" only because he expressed himself as a Macedonian, adding "this verdict would make other Greek journalists think twice in what they say, I hope".
Well well, is Solun turning pro Macedonian? dought it. But good on you Pavle for persisting with this case.
For the first time ever, a Greek Court in Solun punished a Director and a journalist from the state run Greek Radio for misinformation and spreading hatred towards a minority. The case had been pending for more than two years, however the final verdict was delivered this week.
Dimitris Kapselis based in Solun and Kokos Telemahos from Lerin, both employed at Greece's state run radio service will spend five months in jail and be placed three years on probation after Pavle Voskopulous sued them back in 2007 for misinformation and personal attacks against himself and Vinozito (ethnic Macedonian party).
The lawsuit started when Maja Tsakli in a documentary titled "Traveling through Greece" dared to show ethnic Macedonians. In it, Mrs. Tsakli points out the "people who live in and around Lerin (Florina) prefer to speak Macedonian, though they also speak Greek".
This statement caused the abovementioned journalist to attack Mrs. Tsakli as well as Mr Voskopulous who was interviewed in the documentary, calling them "Skopje agents", "separatists", "Anti-Greek leaders"...
This isn't the first time ethnic Macedonians or Greeks are called "Skopje agents" for having different opinions than the state sponsored opinion of "no Macedonians in Greece".
Pavle Voskopulous was clearly surprised by the verdict and expressed his appreciation to the Court in Solun. He added that this perhaps was a small justice for all the years he had been called "Skopje agent" only because he expressed himself as a Macedonian, adding "this verdict would make other Greek journalists think twice in what they say, I hope".
Well well, is Solun turning pro Macedonian? dought it. But good on you Pavle for persisting with this case.
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