2004 Greek TV Censors Winning Documentary

Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM)
Greek State TV "Honors" World Press Freedom Day
by Censoring Winning Documentary

May 4, 2004

Press Release

Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM) denounces the cancellation by Greek state television ET-3 of the showing of the documentary “The other side,” scheduled for last night at 11pm. The documentary, produced by ET-3, presents from the angle of Turkish-Cypriots the events of 1963-1974 in Cyprus and received an honorable mention in the Sixth International Festival of Thessaloniki (March 2004) for “its handling of a difficult and sensitive topic.” Athens daily “Eleftherotypia”

www.enet.gr/online/online_print.jsp?id=29394260,17310452

reported yesterday that the expected cancellation was the result of pressure from “nationally correct minded” persons who consider the documentary “anti-national” and “dangerous.” This was the way ET-3 and the state television “honored” yesterday’s World Press Freedom Day.

GHM recalls that, four months ago, it was denounced that ET-3, probably giving in to similar pressures and despite its prior written commitment, had withdrawn its participation as co-producer of a documentary on another “difficult, sensitive, anti-national and dangerous” topic: Max Merten, a war criminal convicted for the Holocaust of Greece’s Jews. Following the denunciation at the time, ET-3 in effect confirmed to the producer its going back on its commitment. ET-3 apparently had the support of the competent ministers to whom the issue was presented then. Relative to that story is an article by the “Ios” investigative team in “Eleftherotypia” of 20/12/2003 and a GHM press release of 29/12/2003:

• www.enet.gr/online/online_p1_fpage_text.jsp?dt=20/12/2003&id=85673316

• www.greekhelsinki.gr/bhr/english/organizations/ghm/ghm_29_12_03.doc

[Note: Unfortunately, this type of behaviour is typical of Greek media, both private and public, who routinely censor information about the Macedonian minority in Greece and the activities of the Rainbow Party - Vinozhito. The Greek mass media never present information about the national minorities living in Greece and as a consequence most Greeks are deliberately kept in the dark and are poorly informed about domestic human rights problems.]

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