Giorgos Karaivaz

The family of Giorgos Karaivaz, the investigative journalist who was gunned down in an execution-style attack in April 2021 outside his Athens home, has taken recourse to the Supreme Court to challenge the acquittal of two brothers of the crime.

An Athens mixed jury court on Wednesday acquitted the two defendants in the trial for the murder of journalist Giorgos Karaivaz, who was gunned down outside his home in April 2021. The court, which included both judges and a majority of jurors, found there was insufficient evidence to convict the two brothers, aged 49 and 41, of the crime.

The prosecutor in the trial for the murder of journalist Giorgos Karaivaz recommended that the court find both defendants guilty, it was reported on Monday.

The defendants are accused of premeditated homicide and illegal possession of firearms, however, it remains unclear who ordered them to carry out the murder.

The prosecutor of the mixed jury court asked for the guilt of the two brothers, aged 41 and 49, who are sitting in the dock for the murder of journalist Giorgos Karaivaz, while attributing the motive to the revelations the journalist had announced about organized crime in the country. The brothers are accused of “executing” the contract of death.

The contract killing of 54-year-old surveyor Panagiotis Stathis is estimated to have cost up to 100,000 euros, according to officers directly involved in the investigation of the brutal murder in Psychiko.

The trial for the assassination of investigative journalist Giorgos Karaivaz, scheduled for Wednesday, has been postponed until July 5 at the request of a lawyer representing Karaivaz's family. 

As the trial into the assassination of investigative crime reporter Giorgos Karaivaz is set to get under way on Wednesday, investigators are following a money trail they hope will shed more light on the gangland-style shooting outside the journalist's Athens home on April 9, 2021. 

The resolution adopted last week by the European Parliament regarding press freedom and the threat to the rule of law in Greece was slammed on Thursday by the plenary of the Supreme Court as direct interference in the work of the Greek judicial authorities, regarding a series of cases that are pending before the courts, with unproven and unsubstantiated allegations.

The European Parliament on Wednesday called on the Commission to act over what it described as "grave concerns" about the rule of law in Greece, citing a hostile environment for journalists, the use of spyware against political opponents and journalists and abuse of power by the police.

MEPs adopted the resolution with 330 votes in favor, 254 against, and 26 abstentions.

Hristofakis was one of four photojournalists who suffered injuries from police violence during days of protests and nationwide strikes following the train crash that killed 57 people and raised uncomfortable questions for the authorities about how they manage the country's rail system.