Authorities empowered to name and shame
A Supreme Court prosecutor yesterday gave police the green light to publish the names, and even photographs, of people arrested in connection with certain crimes including child pornography and drug dealing, even if they have yet to be tried. As long as a prosecutor’s permission is granted, police can reveal the identity of alleged perpetrators of «crimes against life, sex crimes, violations of personal freedom or property, drug-related violations and crimes against minors,» Stylianos Grozos said. The Supreme Court prosecutor, who was responding to questions submitted to the court by police, said officers could identify such individuals even during the initial detention period. The point of revealing suspects’ identities, Grozos said, is «to protect society as a whole, particularly minors and more vulnerable members of society, and to support the State in its efforts to punish the aforementioned crimes.» Grozos noted that the behavior of individuals suspected of such crimes «is not covered by the notion of personal data protection.» The state Data Protection Authority has said suspects can be named but only to aid the process of investigations aimed at tracing them. In the case of suspects who have been arrested «there are additional factors to consider,» a statement by the authority said. In principle, revealing the name of an arrested suspect violates existing legislation if it is not done to trace alleged accomplices or aid an investigation, the authority said. In May, Justice Minister Sotiris Hatzigakis called on prosecutors to abide by a legislative amendment passed last year that allows persons suspected of certain crimes to be named.
