Greece: Journalist moves surveillance case to the ECHR

On 26 August, journalist Thanasis Koukakis's lawyers announced that they had filed an application with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) against Greece over how the national judicial authorities handled the investigation on the spying of the journalist with surveillance software. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) welcomes this initiative which aims to ensure that prompt investigations are carried out and those responsible for the surveillance of journalists are held to account.

Greek journalist Thanasis Koukakis, who launched a legal case after claiming to have been spied on by state intelligence services using Predator spyware arrives at the Supreme Court in Athens, on August 16, 2022. Credit: Photo by ANGELOS TZORTZINIS / AFP.

Thanasis Koukakis's phone was infected with Predator spyware for at least two months in 2021, and he was informed about this in 2022. The IFJ has condemned attempts to interfere with journalists' private communications and called on the Greek government to launch a full investigation. The journalist was informed at the time that he had been monitored by the Greek National Intelligence Service.

The application to the ECHR concerns "the refusal of the national judicial authorities to investigate in an independent, impartial and effective manner the dual surveillance of the applicant by the National Intelligence Service and through the Predator spyware".

Following revelations that different figures, including journalists, had been spied on using Predator software, four suspects were convicted in February 2026. The court of Athens ordered a further investigation to establish whether any other offences had been committed and to identify those benefiting from the illegal surveillance. However, on 27 April, the Supreme Court Prosecutor refused to reopen the case.

One of the arguments behind the application to the ECHR relies on the fact that the same Supreme Court Prosecutor used to be the supervising Prosecutor for the National Intelligence Service. "He had himself signed the provisions for the lifting of the confidentiality of the applicant's [journalist's] communications in the summer of 2020," the journalist's lawyers said in a statement.

The application also includes complaints relating to alleged violations of the right to privacy, freedom of expression, the protection of journalistic sources, and the right to an effective remedy.

The ECHR has previously admitted complaints challenging the German federal government regarding their favourable policies towards spyware and surveillance, and addressed them with questions.

IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: "Surveilling and illegally spying on journalists is an unacceptable act that violates both public and individual rights, thus drastically eroding our democracies. Respecting press freedom requires respecting the protection of sources and privacy. We welcome this application to the ECHR, as prompt and independent investigations are essential to counter surveillance of journalists, and we call on national governments to develop and implement regulations protecting journalists against surveillance."