Introduction
Parliament Elects New President
On 12th February 2025, parliament elected Konstantinos Tasoulas as Greece’s new President. The election was marred by walkouts from leftist opposition parties, who accused him of involvement in an alleged government cover-up of the 2023 Tempi train crash. Alexis Charitsis, leader of the New Left opposition party, criticised the ruling New Democracy Party, stating it was engaged in “disrespect, trampling on the rule of law, slandering independent authorities, continuing its policy of cover-up and today escalating its regime’s descent with the election of Mr Tasoulas.”
Main Opposition Party Syriza Splinters
The main opposition party to the ruling New Democracy Party, Syriza, has fragmented further with the announcement that its recently deposed leader, Stefanos Kasselakis, is leaving the party to form a new political movement, taking at least four MPs with him. As a result of this further dismantling of the Syriza party, it will lose its status as the main opposition party in Greece. The socialist PASOK party is set to become the main opposition party following the collapse of Syriza.
Declining Trust in Democratic Institutions
Transparency International’s 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, published on 11th February 2025, gave Greece yet another failing grade. The country’s ranking has remained unchanged since 2023, holding at 49 out of 100. Recent polling by Merton Analysis shows that Greek citizens are experiencing declining trust in state institutions and representative democracy. Public trust stands at just 22% for the judiciary and only 15% for the government. Notably, the majority of citizens identify the judiciary’s biggest problems as its slow pace (91%) and political interference (79%).
"Potentially Trailblazing" Court Decision on Pushbacks
In January 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Greece is guilty of carrying out “systematic” pushbacks of asylum seekers. The court ordered Greece to compensate a woman, identified as ARE, who was forcibly expelled to Turkey despite seeking protection. Described as “potentially trailblazing,” the judgment found strong evidence that Greek authorities conducted illicit deportations at the Evros border. This is the first time that Greece has been publicly condemned for its pushback policy, the implementation of which the country's authorities have long denied.
ARE, a member of the faith-based Gülen movement fleeing political persecution, was illegally detained, expelled under cover of darkness, and later imprisoned in Turkey. A Greek court initially dismissed her case, but international jurists accepted her evidence, including a video proving her presence in Greece.
Human rights groups hailed the ruling as a landmark decision that could influence numerous similar cases. However, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ government continues to deny pushback allegations, insisting on a “strict but fair” migration policy. Campaigners argue that the ruling exposes a longstanding illegal practice and sets a precedent for future cases before the ECHR.
Freedom of Association
Big Tech Call Centre Workers Protest Unworkable Conditions, Union Busting and Surveillance
Workers have been protesting against the employment conditions at Teleperformance, one of the world's largest call centre operators, which employs about 12,000 people in Greece. Their complaints include unlivable wages, contract breaches, the retaliatory firing of union leaders, and the unlawful surveillance of workers in their homes.
Protests over these issues began in early 2024, with the most recent demonstrations in December 2024. In an effort to negotiate fairer working conditions, SETIP (Telecommunications and IT Workers' Union) established an office within Teleperformance, where employees formed a company-level union, SETEP. In February 2024, SETIP and SETEP announced that Teleperformance had finally agreed to negotiate and recognise the union.
However, the company has continued to intimidate and retaliate against union leaders to prevent them from organising. According to SETEP President Nikos Spyrelis, who spoke to the Guardian in January 2025, the company “will do anything to avoid signing the collective labour agreement” proposed by the union. He added that Teleperformance even argued in a Greek court that it does not operate in the communications sector, claiming the union does not apply to it.
According to a SETEP press release, on 13th February 2025, after a series of tripartite meetings between the union, Teleperformance representatives and the Labour Inspectorate, the Inspectorate issued a critical decision referring the case to the Public Prosecutor for further investigation into potential criminal liability related to the company’s union-busting practices.
Freedom of Expression
SLAPP suit against journalists exposing state surveillance goes to trial
The strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP) targeting journalists who exposed state surveillance by Greek authorities went to trial on 5th December 2024. The case, brought by Grigoris Dimitriadis, nephew of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, aims to deter reporting critical of the government.
Dimitriadis filed the lawsuit against the newspaper Efimerida ton Syntakton, three of its executives, and journalists Nikolas Leontopoulos, Thodoris Chondrogiannos, and Christoforos Kasdaglis from investigative outlet Reporters United. It concerns the journalists’ investigations into the “Predatorgate” surveillance scandal, which involved spyware used to monitor political figures, prominent businesspeople, and journalists. The surveillance was allegedly ordered directly by the Prime Minister’s office. As a result of the scandal, Dimitriadis was forced to resign as General Secretary in the Prime Minister’s office and relinquish his role overseeing the National Intelligence Service.
In the lawsuit, Dimitriadis is seeking €3.3 million in damages and demanding the removal of articles implicating him in the surveillance scheme. A similar case he initiated was previously dismissed, but this one was not.
This case underscores the urgent need for stronger journalistic protections in Greece. Anti-SLAPP legislation has been agreed upon at the European Union level, but such protections do not yet exist domestically. Efforts to silence journalists through SLAPPs threaten media freedom and undermine justice and the rule of law.
Giorgos Karaivaz Murdered for Journalism, Court Rules
In November 2024, a Greek court ruled that journalist Giorgos Karaivaz, murdered in a contract killing in 2021, was targeted for his investigative work. The 800-page ruling confirmed there was no other motive, stating: “This was a contract killing linked to his journalistic status, which led the perpetrators to commit this offence against him.”
Two brothers, originally charged in the case but unnamed by Greek authorities, were acquitted in 2024 due to lack of evidence. Lawyers representing Karaivaz’s family appealed the decision, but the Supreme Court rejected their appeal in mid-November.
Karaivaz, known for exposing police corruption, was a key witness in a major investigation.
Freedom of Assembly
Massive Protests Over Government Inaction on Train Crash Investigation
On 7th January 2025, tens of thousands of Greeks, both domestically and abroad, gathered to protest over the lack of investigation and justice following the 2023 head-on train collision between a passenger train and a freight train in Tempi, the deadliest such disaster in the country’s history. The ruling New Democracy government has ignored a recommendation from the European Public Prosecutor to pursue potential criminal charges against two former transport ministers. The leader of Greece’s main opposition party called the protests a “breakthrough” that demonstrates growing disillusionment and distrust in institutions, executive power, and the judiciary.
In late January 2025, another wave of protests erupted after leaked audio recordings suggested that roughly 30 of the 57 victims survived the initial impact but later died from asphyxiation or burns. While most demonstrations remained peaceful, large protests in Athens and Thessaloniki ended in clashes with police.
On 7th February 2025, university students, teachers and pupils marched in Athens and other cities across Greece, demanding justice for the 57 victims. In Athens, 5,500 people took part in the demonstration. According to eKathimerini, police detained 27 people at the protests and arrested one following pre-checks.
Nationwide General Strike
On 20th November 2024, a national general strike saw unions demand “dignified wages” amid an uneven recovery from the debt crisis, which has left many citizens struggling with rising costs. The strike was expected to cause significant disruption nationwide due to its scale and influence. However, reports afterward described a lower-than-expected turnout, largely because the workers most affected could not afford to forfeit even a single day’s wages.