Defamation and Online Harassment Laws in Greece

Greek defamation law is written law, not common law. The Penal Code sets out offences against honour, mainly insult (Article 361) and slanderous defamation (Article 363). The Civil Code provides civil remedies: Article 57 lets a person demand that an unlawful attack on their personality stop and not be repeated, Articles 914 and 920 create liability for unlawful harm and for spreading untrue reports that endanger someone's credit, profession or future, and Articles 59 and 932 allow compensation for non-financial (moral) harm. Law 1178/1981 adds special liability rules for the owners of printed publications.

Sources1Greek Penal Code (Law 4619/2019), Art. 361, consolidated text2Greek Penal Code (Law 4619/2019), Art. 363, consolidated text3Greek Civil Code, Art. 574Greek Civil Code, Art. 595Greek Civil Code, Art. 9146Greek Civil Code, Art. 9207Greek Civil Code, Art. 9328Law 1178/1981 on the civil liability of the press, sole article (as amended in 2022)

Some defamation is still a crime in Greece. Law 5090/2024 repealed the offence of simple defamation (former Article 362) from 1 May 2024. Insult (Article 361) remains punishable by up to six months in prison or a fine, rising to up to one year when committed publicly or online and up to two years when it also concerns private or family life; slanderous defamation, meaning knowingly spreading a false fact that can harm someone's honour or reputation (Article 363), carries at least three months in prison plus a fine, or at least six months plus a fine when public or online. Both offences are prosecuted only on the victim's complaint (Article 368), which must be filed within three months of learning of the act and the person responsible (Article 114).

Sources9Law 5090/2024 (Government Gazette A 30/23.02.2024), Art. 136: repeal of Penal Code Art. 36210Law 5090/2024, Art. 138: entry into force on 1 May 20241Greek Penal Code (Law 4619/2019), Art. 361, consolidated text2Greek Penal Code (Law 4619/2019), Art. 363, consolidated text11Greek Penal Code (Law 4619/2019), Art. 368, consolidated text12Greek Penal Code (Law 4619/2019), Art. 114, consolidated text

Greek law does not separate libel from slander. A civil claim for a wrongful act generally must be brought within five years of when the injured person learned of the harm and who caused it, and in any case within 20 years of the act (Civil Code Article 937). For a moral damages claim against the owner of a printed publication, Law 1178/1981 sets a much shorter window: the lawsuit must be filed within six months after the publication fails to run, or refuses, the requested correction. A criminal complaint must be filed within three months (Penal Code Article 114).

Sources13Greek Civil Code, Art. 9378Law 1178/1981 on the civil liability of the press, sole article (as amended in 2022)12Greek Penal Code (Law 4619/2019), Art. 114, consolidated text

Greece does not use the common-law category of defamation per se. Under Article 363 of the Penal Code, it is enough that the knowingly false fact is capable of harming a person's honour or reputation; the text does not require proof of actual harm. On the civil side, Article 920 of the Civil Code specifically covers untrue reports that put someone's credit, profession or future at risk.

Sources2Greek Penal Code (Law 4619/2019), Art. 363, consolidated text6Greek Civil Code, Art. 920

Before suing the owner of a printed publication over a damaging article, the injured person must send the owner (or, if unknown, the publisher or editor) a written out-of-court request to publish a correction text that names the offending words and explains why they are harmful. Skipping this step makes the lawsuit inadmissible. If the publication runs the correction in a matching position and size within 10 days or in the next issue, a claim for moral damages is generally excluded, although proven financial loss can still be claimed. In a criminal case for insult or slanderous defamation committed publicly or online, the court may also order the conviction to be published (Penal Code Article 369).

Sources8Law 1178/1981 on the civil liability of the press, sole article (as amended in 2022)14Greek Penal Code (Law 4619/2019), Art. 369, consolidated text

Since the 2024 reform removed simple defamation and the general truth provision in Article 366, criminal liability for factual claims under Article 363 requires that the fact was false and that the speaker knew it was false. If the fact is a crime that is being prosecuted, the defamation case is paused, and a conviction counts as proof that the fact is true (Article 366). A true statement can still be treated as insult under Article 361 if it is made with the aim of attacking someone's honour.

Sources15Law 5090/2024, Art. 54: new Penal Code Art. 36316Law 5090/2024, Art. 56: amendment of Penal Code Art. 3662Greek Penal Code (Law 4619/2019), Art. 363, consolidated text17Greek Penal Code (Law 4619/2019), Art. 366, consolidated text1Greek Penal Code (Law 4619/2019), Art. 361, consolidated text

Article 333 of the Penal Code punishes causing fear or distress through repeated threatening conduct or persistent pursuit or watching of someone's movements and activities against their stated wishes, with up to two years in prison. It also punishes placing someone under continuous or repeated surveillance using information and communication technology to track their movements and activities, causing fear or distress, with up to two years. The penalty rises to up to three years when the victim is a minor or a person unable to defend themselves, and prosecution requires the victim's complaint.

Source18Greek Penal Code (Law 4619/2019), Art. 333, consolidated text

Greek law has no single online harassment offence, but insult and slanderous defamation (Articles 361 and 363 of the Penal Code) carry higher penalties when committed publicly or via the internet. Threatening someone with violence or another unlawful act so as to cause fear or distress is a separate crime under Article 333.

Sources1Greek Penal Code (Law 4619/2019), Art. 361, consolidated text2Greek Penal Code (Law 4619/2019), Art. 363, consolidated text18Greek Penal Code (Law 4619/2019), Art. 333, consolidated text

Article 346 of the Penal Code makes it a crime to share with others or post publicly, without the right to do so, a real, altered or drawn image or video showing a non-public act of another person's sexual life, punishable by at least three years in prison plus a fine; threatening to do so is also a crime. The penalty can reach up to eight years in prison plus a fine when, for example, the material is posted online or on social media to an unlimited audience, the victim is a minor, or the victim is a current or former spouse or partner. Separately, Article 57 of the Civil Code lets a person demand that an unlawful attack on their personality be stopped and not repeated.

Sources19Greek Penal Code (Law 4619/2019), Art. 346, consolidated text3Greek Civil Code, Art. 57