Defense minister Kammenos sues commentator for 1 mln euros

Defense Minister Panos Kammenos has sued commentator Andreas Petroulakis for 1 million euros in damages over a critical article posted on the Protagon website on March 17.

In a statement posted on the site Friday, Petroulakis, who is also a cartoonist at Kathimerini, said the lawsuit was aimed at ?suppressing criticism and public dialogue.?

In the March 17 commentary, Petroulakis described Kammenos as coming from a ?frantic, nationalist-populist far-right? background, adding that he had failed to respond to allegations regarding offshore firms and an unregistered yacht.

Kammenos also sued Potami leader Stavros Theodorakis for the same amount, identifying him as the owner of Protagon. In a statement, the party said Theodorakis had sold his stake in the website ahead of setting up the party last year.