NGO head faces possible charges over election post

The head of an NGO revealed on Friday that she has been questioned by police over a social media post she had made on the eve of the May parliamentary elections, apparently in violation of the relevant elections law. Theano Kalavana, director of the Association for Social Reform (Opek) told Politis that she may now face criminal charges because her Facebook post was uploaded on the day before the elections. The relevant law bars political advertising as well as publishing material that may influence the outcome of elections, on the eve of, and on the day of elections. In Kalavana’s case, on the day prior to the elections (held on May 24) she uploaded to her personal Facebook account a video with the following commentary: “Don’t hope, vote.” She then added to the comment: “If you like, vote for Volt.” This was posted on a personal account. According to Kalavana, her “crime” was that she did not take the post down. Criticising the elections law, she called it obsolete and out of touch with the era of social media. The law stipulates that, in the event of conviction, a person may be sentenced to up to one year in jail, or fined up to €15,000, or both. Kalanava also raised the broader matter of free speech, saying she could now get tainted with a criminal record just for expressing a personal opinion and then leaving the post online. She added that her association Opek does not formally endorse the Volt party. Neither is she is a member of Volt. Kalavana revealed that during her questioning by police, officers described her post as an “advertisement”. They also asked her if other persons had access to her Facebook account. “I told them that whatever I have to say, I’ll say it in court.” The file is now understood to be with the attorney-general, who will decide whether to press charges or not. Asked about this later, the head of the interior ministry’s elections service clarified that “old posts” on social media are not on their own enough to warrant a police investigation. Menelaos Vasiliou said that just prior to the May elections, authorities had issued clarifications about what is permitted and what is not. “The prohibition concerned material that remained active as an advertisement, or material promoted either on the eve, or the day of, the elections.” Regarding Kalavana’s post specifically, he said they were alerted to it by members of the public. According to the official, the Press and Information Office keeps track of political advertising during election time. However, several complaints about suspected violations come from the public itself. Vasiliou said that 128 complaints overall were examined. Following a preliminary review, 28 cases were forwarded to authorities. Of the 28 cases, 22 concerned individuals, and the rest concerned webpages or social media accounts. Regarding the 22 individuals investigated, 17 were candidates for MP, the rest members of the public.