Galatia Iatraki

29 / 11 / 2025

Greece a testing ground for smart surveillance technologies

Europe is rapidly building an AI-ready smart-border regime — bankrolled by the EU, pushed by Germany and tested in Greece. Defense and security firms are among the biggest winners. Much of it is unfolding under the radar, with safeguards for people on the move lagging behind.

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21 / 11 / 2025

How floods are reshaping disaster insurance in the Mediterranean

Governments in Italy and Greece are leaning on private insurance to absorb the mounting cost of extreme weather — a shift that could redefine how Europe pays for the consequences of climate change.

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12 / 11 / 2025

Hungry for data: Inside Europol’s secretive AI program

Europol’s growing appetite for data and artificial intelligence is transforming European policing, largely out of public view, and without clear oversight.

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07 / 11 / 2025

Greece rejected the EU’s sheeppox vaccine, opting for mass slaughter. The virus is spreading.

Internal documents obtained by Solomon reveal the EU urged Greece to launch a vaccination campaign against sheeppox. Athens refused — and now the country faces one of its worst livestock crises in decades.

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05 / 11 / 2025

Stranded between borders: Europe’s broken system for reuniting refugee families 

Across Europe, unaccompanied minors who fled war and persecution wait to reunite with relatives a border or two away. What should take months can stretch into years. Solomon’s investigation traces the maze of bureaucracy and policy decisions keeping families apart.

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24 / 10 / 2025

Every minute, a building in Europe is demolished. The EU has no record of it.

Across the European Union, buildings are disappearing at an astonishing rate — roughly one every minute, according to independent researchers. Yet the bloc has no official record of what is being lost, even as it pledges to curb demolitions and promote renovation.

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15 / 10 / 2025

A Silent Postpartum Crisis: How Europe Is Failing Mothers

A gap in perinatal mental health care leaves millions of women struggling alone in the weeks and months after birth. Solomon’s cross-border investigation reveals a continent-wide failure to recognize and treat postpartum mental health conditions.

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08 / 10 / 2025

‘Migrants in their own land’: climate displacement at Europe’s external borders 

When record-breaking floods hit central Greece in 2023, entire villages were uprooted. Some of those left houseless remain in the refugee camp where they were relocated — a stark glimpse of Europe’s new reality, where climate disasters are displacing citizens alongside migrants.

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11 / 09 / 2025

EXCLUSIVE: “Following orders” — The defense of the Pylos coast guard officers 

The Hellenic Coast Guard has faced unprecedented scrutiny since June 2023, when a fishing trawler overloaded with migrants capsized and sank off the coast of Pylos, killing more than 600 people. Thirteen Coast Guard officers--the captain and crew of patrol vessel PPLS-920, the only ship on the scene when the boat went down--now face criminal charges. In an exclusive interview with Solomon, their lawyer presented the officers’ defense. Their version of events is juxtaposed against the findings of the Greek Ombudsman, whose confidential report—obtained by Solomon—challenges several of their claims and notes shortcomings in Coast Guard leadership on the night of June 14, 2023.

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11 / 09 / 2025

Exclusive: Lawyer defends Coast Guard officers accused in deadly Pylos shipwreck

The lawyer representing the Hellenic Coast Guard officers facing criminal charges over the deadly Pylos shipwreck speaks exclusively to Solomon.

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03 / 09 / 2025

Solomon Media Lab: How To Investigate Fish Farms in Greece

Solomon invites journalists to a two-day workshop on fish farming in Greece, taking place on September 18 in Athens and September 19 on the island of Poros.

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01 / 08 / 2025

On a quiet Greek island, a wind energy push ignites fierce local backlash 

As Greece races to expand renewable energy, can the island of Kythira be transformed into a wind power hub -- with 30 turbines planned in a protected zone -- against the will of its residents?

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30 / 07 / 2025

KKR: From Greece’s “red loans” to the occupied territories of Palestine

What do “red loans” in Greece, a music festival in Spain, the global arms trade, and the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank have in common? They’re all tied to the controversial American investment giant, KKR.

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10 / 07 / 2025

Greece’s smuggling crackdown: are refugees carrying the can?

Despite the stories of mass arrests, most “smugglers” jailed in Greece are asylum-seekers who were coerced into driving boats. Fast-track trials and flawed evidence raise serious concerns about justice.

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07 / 07 / 2025

Frontex unlawfully shared thousands of people’s personal data with Europol

Under the banner of fighting migrant smuggling, Frontex has collected, and unlawfully siphoned to Europol, personal data for years—quietly drawing thousands of migrants, as well as EU citizens aiding refugees, into a widening criminal dragnet through large-scale ‘covert interrogations’.

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13 / 06 / 2025

“Smiles Don’t Lie” – Israeli Propaganda Targets Greece, EU Countries

As public attention in Greece and across Europe turns to the March to Gaza, Israel has launched a targeted campaign aimed at regional audiences. Through sponsored YouTube ads promoting its “humanitarian aid” efforts, the Israeli government is rapidly boosting video viewership across the region.

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06 / 06 / 2025

He Escaped Death, But Dreams of Returning to Gaza

Yousef fled Gaza in 2024, still a minor. Now 19, he’s in Cairo — caught between loss and survival, still hoping to return home one day.

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07 / 05 / 2025

“We don’t feel comfortable in our own homes” – Your answers to Solomon’s questionnaire 

We asked how you deal with the cold in winter and the difficulty of keeping your homes warm. From using the oven as a heat source, to staying confined to a single room, these are the experiences that 546 Solomon readers shared with us.

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30 / 04 / 2025

In Zakynthos, activists confront poachers and the long tradition of impunity

The environmental organization CABS, active on Zakynthos for three years in an effort to protect the endangered turtle dove species, reports that it has been attacked by poachers. It is the latest episode in a series of violent incidents that have been escalating since April 2024.

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16 / 04 / 2025

How A Shady US AI Company Dodged Fines and Defied Regulators Across Europe 

Clearview AI’s saga in Europe underscores the clash between international tech firms and supposedly robust EU privacy laws.

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09 / 04 / 2025

Poisoned Chalice: Is Frontex Director’s Clean-Up Operation Doomed to Failure?

Dutch former gendarmerie commander Hans Leijtens took the reins of Frontex with a vow to renew the EU border agency’s commitment to the rights of migrants. With Europe’s leaders taking a hard line on migration, is he fighting a losing battle?

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31 / 03 / 2025

Unaccompanied Children Sleep on the Floor in Shifts in Greece’s ‘Model Camps’. The EU Is Aware.

Internal EU documents obtained through freedom of information requests and visual evidence from rights organizations on the ground, reveal systemic neglect of hundreds of unaccompanied children trapped in dire conditions in Greek refugee camps.

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25 / 02 / 2025

Heat or eat: The coldest homes in Europe are in western Greece

One in ten people in Europe are cold in their homes in winter. In Greece, the percentage is double: two in ten. Across Europe, western Greece ranks as the region with the coldest homes.

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12 / 02 / 2025

Revolving Doors: How top Greek officials became executives in companies they once oversaw 

The former Minister of Maritime Affairs becomes CEO of the country's largest shipyard. The government’s Director of the National Recovery & Resilience Fund becomes an executive at a company that had received millions from the Fund. Solomon investigates conflict of interest issues regarding executives who transfer from the public to the private sector.

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07 / 02 / 2025

Shadow Fleet Secrets: How Greek tankers were used to transport Russian oil

To create the shadow fleet that illegally transported Russian oil, Putin relied on aging tankers whose prices suddenly skyrocketed − among them were many former Greek-owned ships.

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16 / 01 / 2025

Invisible Walls: How AI Tech at Europe’s Borders Threatens People Seeking Refuge

With EU funding, more and more countries are using artificial intelligence (AI) systems, drones, and surveillance towers at their borders, and gaining access to the personal data of people seeking refuge in Europe.

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10 / 01 / 2025

Egypt: The EU’s unexpected ally against migration

From 2024 to 2027, Egypt is slated to receive more EU aid than any other country, under a migration agreement which aims to prevent the arrival of refugees and migrants into the European Union.

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10 / 12 / 2024

Abu Sultan’s Enterprise: The Smuggling Ring Behind the Pylos Shipwreck

The second part of the joint investigation by Solomon, ARIJ, El País, TAZ, and The New Humanitarian provides, in unprecedented detail, an account of the structure and operation of the north African smuggling ring behind the Pylos shipwreck.

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04 / 12 / 2024

Pylos Shipwreck: Greece knew the real smugglers 

Solomon's investigation–conducted in collaboration with El País, Die Tageszeitung, ARIJ, and The New Humanitarian–reveals that Egypt informed the Greek authorities that the nine survivors of the Pylos shipwreck were not members of the smuggling network. Yet, the men stayed behind bars for a year.

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29 / 10 / 2024

Who controls the media in Greece: 12+1 conclusions from Solomon’s investigation

Solomon's investigation, "Who owns the media?" has documented, for the first time, on an interactive platform, the business activities and interests of the oligarchs behind Greece’s major media groups.

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01 / 09 / 2024

On Edge: Europe’s Farmers at a Mental Health Breaking Point

A new cross-border investigation in Greece, Spain, the Czech Republic, Romania and Poland documents how climate change, combined with European and national policies, has pushed farmers in Europe's 'periphery' to a breaking point.

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09 / 07 / 2024

The story of a Golden Visa real estate scam

A Chinese couple bought an apartment in Kallithea. They ended up dealing with a controversial NGO and a company that has been accused of fraud.

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17 / 06 / 2024

Tracing the Path of Greece’s Plastic Waste

In collaboration with Greenpeace Greece and Basel Action Network, we put trackers on plastic waste from recycle bins and followed their path. Some turned up in landfills, while some was exported to the Balkans. In the end, many of the myths surrounding recycling were dispelled.

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21 / 05 / 2024

Testimony of Hellenic Coast Guard captain exonerates the “Pylos nine”

Nine Egyptian nationals, survivors of the deadly Pylos shipwreck, accused of smuggling and causing the vessel to sink, were found not guilty. Below is the statement given by the captain of PPLS-920, the only Coast Guard vessel present during the sinking of the Adriana in June 2023.

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02 / 05 / 2024

The “tradition” that kills thousands of turtle doves on Zakynthos

The government has expressed its intention to deal with the illegal hunting of the endangered European turtle dove in the Ionian Sea region − the unlawful practice has been an open secret for decades. But an investigation by Solomon documents the rampant dimensions of illegal poaching on Zakynthos. The Forestry Service remains understaffed, while internal records raise suspicions of a cover-up.

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10 / 04 / 2024

How European countries wrongfully classify children seeking asylum as adults

Thousands of children seeking protection in Greece, Italy, and the UK have likely been registered as adults – a failure with serious consequences.

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03 / 04 / 2024

Heavy fine for the Ministry of Migration’s surveillance systems

The Hellenic Data Protection Authority issued the Ministry a €175,000 fine in regards to their digital management systems “Centaur” and “Hyperion”. Solomon had previously revealed that the Ministry’s two flagship programs were designed and implemented without the required data privacy protections.

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27 / 03 / 2024

Lost for Words: Lack of interpreters puts asylum seekers’ lives on hold in Greece

In detention-like facilities, asylum seekers have to wait for sometimes over a year for their asylum interviews due to lack of interpreters. And when the interviews take place, they sometimes blame interpreters’ mistakes for their rejections.

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26 / 02 / 2024

“An Open Secret”: How Frontex and the European Commission turned a blind eye to violent pushbacks in Bulgaria’s bid to join Schengen 

Internal documents obtained by Solomon, BIRN, Le Monde and Deutsche Welle reveal aggressive pushbacks, "disappearances" of unaccompanied children, and attacks by guard dogs at the Bulgarian border. The EU is well aware but considers the "excellent results" in Bulgaria’s border management.

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01 / 02 / 2024

“It was already too late”: Frontex blames the Hellenic Coast Guard for the Pylos shipwreck

Frontex’s internal report on the deadliest shipwreck in recent years, confirms the investigative reports by Solomon and our media partners. The Hellenic Coast Guard was slow to launch the rescue operation and later refused to answer specific questions.

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12 / 12 / 2023

How the Pylos tragedy could have been avoided

A Search and Rescue exercise, carried out just a few weeks after the shipwreck that claimed over 600 lives, raises questions about what the Hellenic Coast Guard did - and mainly did not do - on the evening of June 14, 2023.

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01 / 12 / 2023

Dead refugees in the Balkans: bribes to find missing relatives

In comparison to 2015, today more asylum seekers are dying on the Balkan route. While relatives are forced to overcome state indifference to identify their loved ones, they are also forced to bribe authorities, even border guards, in the hope of finding them.

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25 / 10 / 2023

Kythira shipwreck, one year later

They were rescued from a raging sea. Now, survivors and relatives of the October 2022 shipwreck are returning to Kythira to thank the residents.

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24 / 10 / 2023

Fish farms on Poros: Why the residents are against it

About 25% of the Saronic island is slated for the operation of fish farming units, which plan on increasing their activity by 670%. Municipal Authority and residents — who disagree with the plan — fear that the character of the island will change forever.

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06 / 07 / 2023

Under the unwatchful eye of the authorities’ deactivated cameras: dying in the darkest depths of the Mediterranean

A collaborative investigation by Solomon, Forensis, The Guardian and ARD presents the most complete tracing, to date, of the course that the fishing vessel Adriana took until it ultimately sank, causing over 600 people to drown − while under the supervision of Greek and European authorities. A document reveals that according to Frontex recommendations, the Coast Guard vessel was obligated to record the operation on video.

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15 / 06 / 2023

“They are urgently asking for help”: the SOS that was ignored 

The Hellenic Coast Guard stated that they did not commence a rescue operation to aid the fishing trawler overloaded with migrants before it eventually sank because the vessel refused assistance. International law experts, as well as active and former Coast Guard officials, refute this argument. In addition, communication between Alarm Phone and authorities (which are in Solomon’s possession), prove that the migrants on board had sent out an SOS – which was ignored.

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15 / 06 / 2023

Just 0,07% of 819m border budget to Greece earmarked for Search and Rescue

As the European Commission chastises Greece for violent pushbacks and European officials express their grief over the deadly Pylos shipwreck, Greek authorities have been granted more than twice the amount of EU funding for border management from 2021 to 2027, compared to the previous grant.

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04 / 05 / 2023

Is Edelman following Predator?

The president and CEO of a Greek company linked to communications giant Edelman attended an event organized on the Greek spyware scandal. That raises questions about whether Edelman is involved in the issue’s communication management on behalf of the Greek government. Solomon reveals documents extending Edelman's contract with the government.

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26 / 04 / 2023

After a personal data breach affecting 10 million customers, Cosmote & OTE appeal to cancel fine

Greece’s biggest telecommunications group seeks to overturn a €9.25 million fine following a breach of user records that exposed the data of millions of subscribers. The fine could have reached €130 million, according to the National Data Protection Authority.

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13 / 04 / 2023

Tal Dilian: How Mr Predator attempted to save his image

His name is linked to wiretapping scandals in Cyprus & Greece – the former Israeli intelligence officer is one of Europe’s most controversial figures. Solomon’s OSINT investigation reveals how a months-long campaign attempted to create a positive online narrative about Tal Dilian and his business activities.

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27 / 03 / 2023

Their sons were murdered by Neo-Nazis. Now they vow to keep their memory alive.

Serpil Temiz Unvar and Magda Fyssa, who lost their sons to racist crime in Germany and Greece, join forces to fight against far-right violence—so that the murders stop.

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23 / 03 / 2023

Pushbacks: MEPs ask for explanations after a report by Solomon & El País reveals mistreatment and exploitation of refugees

The president of the LIBE Committee and Spanish MEPs have asked the EU to investigate recent revelations and have proposed making adherence to human rights law a condition for the allocation of EU funds to Greece.

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09 / 03 / 2023

The Great Robbery: during illegal pushbacks in Greece, refugees are robbed by border guards

Solomon's investigation, in collaboration with the Spanish newspaper El País, reveals that Greek security forces have stolen more than €2 million from refugees during pushbacks.

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04 / 03 / 2023

#MoriaTrialWatch: Monitoring the trial of the Moria Six

#MoriaTrialWatch, an initiative by Solomon and omniatv, will publish a live feed of the proceedings on 6 March 2023.

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14 / 02 / 2023

Lack of transparency in the Greek Ministry of Migration’s €1.7 million in secret funding

When the Migration Minister created a classified fund he claimed full transparency, so that spending "would not need to be marked ‘confidential’ in the end". Three years later there has been no transparency at all.

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27 / 01 / 2023

Exclusive: ‘Whistleblowers’ Pile Pressure on EU Asylum Agency Chief After Dramatic Reshuffle

Malta-based agency rejects claims that it gave inaccurate information when questioned about recruitment practices.

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18 / 11 / 2022

Exclusive: UN Letter Documents Greek Pushback of Turkish Asylum Seekers

In March, eight Turks reached Greece by boat, fearing persecution in their homeland. The UN urged Greece to provide protection, but instead the men were pushed back to sea and into the arms of the Turkish police.

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18 / 10 / 2022

“The food we eat”: Solomon offers support to two investigative journalists

Invitation for application | Support for journalists wishing to investigate issues related to food systems.

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06 / 07 / 2022

No closer to heaven — transgender asylum-seekers in Greece

For many transgender asylum-seekers, their arrival in Greece only drags them deeper into misery.

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Iliana Papangeli

iliana.papangeli@wearesolomon.com

Managing Director

Iliana is a journalist and editor who has served as the Managing Director of Solomon since 2022. Under her leadership, Solomon has gained widespread recognition for its in-depth reporting on underreported issues in migration, accountability, and the environment, as well as for fostering cross-border collaborations and impactful storytelling. Iliana has also introduced a model of progressive leadership, with a strong commitment to prioritizing mental health and well-being within the Solomon team. Her work has earned her several prestigious accolades, including the IJ4EU Impact Award, the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize, and the European Press Prize. She is a frequent speaker at international conferences and a strong advocate for well-being in newsrooms. She is a 2024 alumna of the LEDE program at Columbia University, and has served as a jury member for the IJ4EU Impact Award 2023 and the Evens Journalism Prize 2021. She holds a background in Psychology and Social Anthropology.

Stavros Malichudis

stavros.malichudis@wearesolomon.com

Chief Editor

Stavros is a reporter and editor. He has worked for the Agence France-Presse and inside story, and has participated in cross-border investigations with Lighthouse Reports and Investigate Europe. He’s member of Reporters United. His reports have been published in European media. He was shortlisted for the European Press Prize ‘21 and won the IJ4EU Impact Award ‘22. In 2019 he was selected as a fellow for BIRN's Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence (BFJE). He has been trained in data journalism at Columbia University in New York on a fellowship.

Corina Petridi

petridi.corina@gmail.com

Investigative & data reporter

Corina is a journalist and data editor at Solomon. She has worked with VICE Greece, Reporters United, and Balkan investigative network BIRN. She has studied Political Science. In 2019, she won a scholarship to Columbia Journalism School's Lede Program on coding, data analysis, and visual storytelling. She has reported on migration, real estate, data privacy and gender.

Aristea Protonotariou

aristea.protonotariou@wearesolomon.com

Chief Operations Officer

Aristea was born in 1994 and grew up on Kythira island, Greece. Her studies are in Journalism and Archives, Librarianship & Information Science. She was trained in Multimedia Journalism as an SNF scholar in Columbia University, NY. She holds an MA in Risk Communication and Crisis Journalism. Aristea is the founder of the “Migratory Birds”, the first newspaper in Greece made by and for refugee, migrant and Greek youth.

Danai Maragoudaki

danai.maragoudaki@wearesolomon.com

Investigative reporter

Danai started working as a journalist in 2015. She has worked for several Greek media like inside story, VICE, and capital.gr. She is also a member of the investigative team The Manifold and the production team Paola Team Documentaries. Her reporting focuses on transparency and economics, technology, gender and LGBTQ+ rights. She has studied political science and translation.

Lydia Emmanouilidou

lydia.emman@gmail.com

Investigative reporter & Fundraising strategist

Lydia is a journalist and audio producer with over a decade of experience in radio, print, and digital media. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, NPR, BBC, Al Jazeera, and other international outlets. She began her career at NPR’s Investigative Unit and has reported widely from Greece and across Europe, including as a foreign correspondent for The World, a BBC co-production airing on 300+ US public radio stations. Her reporting has earned top honors, including the 2024 IJ4EU Impact Award, the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize, and a National Edward R. Murrow Award. Lydia regularly speaks at global journalism conferences and US universities, and contributes to editorial investigations and fundraising at Solomon.

Galatia Iatraki

giatrakister@gmail.com

Illustrator

Galatia creates illustrations for Solomon's stories. She studied and worked in Thessaloniki, the Netherlands and Crete in the field of information technology and multimedia. She has attended photography and archival practices seminars. Through photography and collage, she explores topics about contemporary social issues. She is currently based in Athens.

Gigi Papoulias

gigipapoulias@yahoo.com

English editor

Gigi was raised in the US, a daughter of Greek immigrants. She graduated from Boston College with a concentration in Education and Modern Greek Studies. As a grant recipient at the University of Athens, she completed further coursework in Greek Studies. In her professional background, Gigi has provided writing, editing, translation and content development services to media and academic sectors, publishing companies and multinational corporations. She’s also taught at a multicultural kindergarten, worked in a restaurant kitchen, interpreted for immigration services at a US airport, sold t-shirts in Boston’s Faneuil Hall, and led meditation & mindfulness classes at a women’s center.

Nasruddin Nizami

nasruddin.nizami@v2.wearesolomon.com

Board member

Nasruddin is a board member and migration expert. He was born in Afghanistan and raised in Pakistan. He has worked as an interpreter, cultural mediator and case worker with IOM. He is a current board member of the Greek Council for Refugees. He has a degree in English Studies at Deree, the American College of Greece.