Greek journalist, specialist in criminal affairs, assassinated in Athens
A police truck takes the car of journalist Giorgos Karaïvaz, who was shot dead as he got out of his vehicle in the suburbs of Athens, on April 9, 2021. AP - Panayiotis Tzamaros
Text by: RFI Follow
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George Karaivaz, well known to the Greeks, was shot and killed on Friday as he returned to his home on the outskirts of the capital.
The attack, the premeditation of which is not in doubt, was carried out by two men on motorcycles who fired fifteen times in its direction.
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With our correspondent in Athens,
Joël Bronner
“
A shock for all of us.
This is how the Greek government spokeswoman described the assassination of journalist Giorgos Karaïvaz.
"
An attack on democracy,
" added the opposition Kinal party.
This type of assassination is "
an odious and cowardly act
", reacted for her part Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission on Twitter (in English and in Greek).
Giorgos Karaïvaz, shot dead by two individuals on a motorcycle on Friday, was married and the father of a child.
He was killed instantly, as he got out of his vehicle, after returning from a television show.
The journalist was notably known to the Greeks for his participation in "Truths with Zina", a daily program on the private television channel Star TV.
The 50-year-old was also the founder and leader of Bloko, a website where
corruption issues
were central.
Murdering a journalist is a despicable, cowardly act.
Europe stands for freedom.
And freedom of press may be the most sacred of all.
Journalists must be able to work safely.
My thoughts are with the family of George Karaivaz.
I hope the criminals are soon brought to justice.
- Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 9, 2021
Two colleagues of Giorgos Karaïvaz commented on the same site on the assassination that took place on Friday: “
Some have chosen to silence him and force him, with bullets, to stop writing his articles.
They executed him in front of his home.
"
In 2010,
Socratis Giolias
, an investigative journalist, was also shot dead outside his home in the suburbs of Athens.
And he too was working on corruption cases.
At the time, the attack was officially claimed by a far-left group, but the investigation was unsuccessful.
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