An early version of an anti-terrorism bill debated in Greece last winter would have simply made it a crime for a newspaper to print any communication from a group designated as terrorist organization. After protests that this would violate the rights of a free press, the final version was toned down, but it still gave state prosecutors the power to ban the printing of messages from such groups following a specific terrorist event. Eleftherotypia, an Athens daily, argued in a January 31 editorial that in making that change the law's authors had made it more offensive than before:

Now the prosecutor's ban violates not only the constitutional principle of the Freedom of the Press, but the constitutional principle of the separation of powers as well.

This way, the very foundations of our democracy are mined. And in the long run, the mines are more dangerous than rockets.

Rockets flew this spring, damaging several industrial and commercial targets, and a group that calls itself "November 17" took credit, sending communiques to the media. First Eleftherotypia, than six other Athens newspapers, printed the communique in defiance of the new law. Eleftherotypia explained the action to its readers in an editorial that read, in part:

We believe that all Greek citizens have the right to be informed, even if they completely disagree, about the deeds and the thinking of a group that remains untouched by the authorities, of all administrations, for 16 years.... And we should never forget: Darkness breeds legends.

In September, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, editors of all seven publications were convicted under the new law and sentenced to jail terms ranging from five to ten months. They served just ten days, however; two press organizations paid their fines and bought off their remaining jail time, as allowed for some crimes under Greek law.

In October came another terrorist attack and another communique -- this time sent only to Eleftherotypia. The paper published it in a report that, according to a spokesman, "severely" criticized the terrorists' activities. Eleftherotypia's publisher and editor were charged under the anti-terrorism law the following day.

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