The trial for the assassination of investigative journalist Giorgos Karaivaz has been postponed to July 5, following a request from the lawyer representing Karaivaz's family.
The decision came after the selection of jurors, with the lawyer citing the need for additional time to study the case file and present new crucial evidence.
Previously, the family was represented by Apostolos Lytras, who was recently arrested and jailed on domestic violence charges. The public prosecutor and the defence lawyers opposed the postponement, suggesting a short recess instead. However, the court granted the extension requested by the family's new lawyer.
Karaivaz was shot dead on April 9, 2021, near his home in Alimos by professional hitmen who fled the scene on a motorbike. The suspects were apprehended in April 2023 and have been in pretrial detention since.
The investigation remains ongoing as the Karaivaz family seeks to identify who ordered the murder. The indictment describes the killing as a paid "contract killing" orchestrated by organised criminals. The trial is not expected to delve into the motives behind the murder or identify those who commissioned the crime.
Greece faces significant challenges regarding press freedom, being the only EU member state with two unsolved journalist murders, including the 2010 killing of Sokratis Giolias. The trial also unfolds against a backdrop of broader press freedom issues in Greece, highlighted by the spyware surveillance scandal, vexatious lawsuits, and a crisis in media pluralism.
