Gigi Papoulias

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.

Gigi's contributions

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

Ursula von der Leyen on Pylos: “Saving lives at sea is a moral duty”

In a letter obtained by Solomon, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calls for an investigation into the causes of the fatal shipwreck in a "transparent, thorough and swift manner."

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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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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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Pylos shipwreck

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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06 / 03 / 2023

The Fire at Moria: A disaster destined to happen

The re-examination of information and revealing data call into question the credibility of the evidence that led to six young asylum seekers being convicted of setting fire to Europe's most notorious refugee camp.

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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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03 / 08 / 2022

Solomon’s reporter Malichudis under surveillance for “national security reasons”

In a closed-door Parliamentary meeting, the head of Greece’s National Intelligence Service reportedly confirmed that two journalists had been under surveillance, including Solomon's Stavros Malichudis. A few months ago, Minister of State Giorgos Gerapetritis had repeatedly affirmed that “it is self-evident that there is no surveillance of journalists in Greece.”

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15 / 07 / 2022

Dark Waters of the Aegean: 1,018 illegal pushbacks carried out by the Greek state

It has become a common practice for Greek authorities to abandon asylum seekers at sea, which has resulted in injuries and drownings. An interactive map reveals the recurring crime committed across the Aegean Sea. The Greek government must explain how abducting people in need and abandoning them in life rafts is linked to international law and European values.

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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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21 / 06 / 2022

Facing 10 years in prison for an act of desperation

A year and a half ago, a young pregnant woman from Afghanistan, living at the Mavrovouni camp on Lesvos, attempted suicide by setting fire to her tent. On June 22, 2022, she stands trial, accused of arson with intent.

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16 / 06 / 2022

Serbia: Green waves washing over polluted land

Citizens’ growing concern fueled by industrial investments and the urgent need to solve environmental issues has resulted in the election of Serbia’s first Green Party to parliament.

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22 / 03 / 2022

Ukraine war: the “real” refugees and the lies of the Greek government

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Greek government ministers and MPs have spread false claims about refugees and international law. While experts, the UNHCR, and EU data refute their claims and more allegations are reported regarding Greece’s illegal pushbacks of asylum seekers.

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22 / 03 / 2022

UNHCR responds to Solomon over Mitarachi’s definition of “real” refugees

Greek minister of Migration Notis Mitarachi invokes international law to distinguish "real" from "non-real" refugees. The UNHCR's response to Solomon refutes his allegations.

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10 / 03 / 2022

Masafarhána: Inside the invisible refugee houses in Athens

In Athens, refugees pay to live in small apartments which accommodate up to 22 people. They often fall victim to exploitation by their compatriots. But sometimes the masafarhánas offer them the forgotten feeling of home.

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28 / 01 / 2022

Unaccompanied minors: The fear of adulthood

Like most teenagers in Europe, they should be waiting for their 18th birthday with excitement and impatience. But for the thousands of asylum seekers who are unaccompanied minors, the day they turn 18 – when they go from being minors in need of protection to being regarded as "men" and even "foreigners" – is a day accompanied by anxiety about what tomorrow might bring and by the fear of deportation.

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15 / 01 / 2022

Six years with Solomon

Today is Solomon’s 6th birthday, which means that if Solomon was a person, he’d be starting school now — a new exciting stage of development and learning.

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Building economies within walls

12 / 11 / 2021

Building economies within walls

Ritsona is the largest refugee camp on Greece’s mainland. Excluded from the region’s social and economic network long before the pandemic, the camp gradually acquired its own life. Today, with new surveillance technologies being installed at the camp, there are growing fears that the camp community will become completely isolated.

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05 / 11 / 2021

“When the pandemic ends, we must talk about the mental health of the workers during this period”

Loretta Macauley, activist and founder of the United African Women Organization in Athens, in an interview with Solomon on the effects of the pandemic on migrant women employed in Greece.

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25 / 10 / 2021

Young Roma shot dead by Greek police. Yet another case of police impunity? — Part 1

After a car chase, Greek police shot and killed a young Roma man. The incident bears a striking resemblance to another case of excessive and unwarranted use of force by Greek law enforcement − in which Greece was convicted by the European Court of Justice in 2004. The Makaratzis case was the main lawsuit in a group of cases brought to the European Court of Human Rights regarding excessive use of force by Greek law enforcement and the failure of both disciplinary and judicial action to bring an end to such incidents. The Council of Europe continues to urge Greece to take action to address police violence.

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19 / 10 / 2021

Congolese minor suing Frontex: “I thought that the law is upheld in Europe”

A.N., a young woman from Burundi, was recently granted asylum in Greece. However, her struggle continues. She is suing Frontex, for the first time in the history of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, for complicity in two pushback incidents that she claims preceded her asylum. The case is co-signed by an unaccompanied minor from the Democratic Republic of the Congo – who claims that he has been pushed backed to Turkey three times, where he currently remains.

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06 / 10 / 2021

How a convicted neo-Nazi attempts to regain his seat in Greek Parliament − from jail

A year after the leaders of neo-Nazi party, Golden Dawn, were convicted of operating a criminal organization, their influence seems to have waned. However, through his own YouTube channel, which he uses to speak unopposed, Ilias Kasidiaris is aiming to become the main spokesperson of the Far Right in Greece.

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30 / 08 / 2021

The protectors of refugee children

They are probably the first and only doctors to examine young refugees who arrive in Athens. The pediatricians Stavroula Dikalioti and Smaragda Papachristidou - due to their efforts and personal interest - have managed to facilitate the refugees’ access to public health, which is provided at no cost, but remains a complicated maze to navigate.

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04 / 06 / 2021

Greek strawberries “made in Bangladesh”

Up to 10,000 migrant agricultural workers live in makeshift camps in the strawberry fields of Ilia, which produce the "red gold" that generates tens of millions of euros in exports. While the Greek state remains indifferent, the number of workers is expected to increase, as production is projected to skyrocket by 2025, covering approximately 6,200 acres.

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04 / 06 / 2021

A behind-the-scenes look at Greece’s “red gold” harvest

A photo essay by Thodoris Nikolaou.

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27 / 04 / 2021

His drawing traveled to Europe. But 12-year-old Jamal simply wants to “get out of this jail”.

"I don’t want anything from you. Nor am I happy that my drawing has traveled to another place, while I'm stuck in a prison", says little Jamal from a detention center on Kos island.

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25 / 04 / 2021

Born on January 1st

An unpublished piece from earlier this year that attempts to explain a common and noticeable phenomenon that we often encounter in our coverage of refugees.

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24 / 04 / 2021

Working in other people’s homes in the midst of a pandemic

Since arriving in Greece -27 years ago- Rodika has been working as a domestic worker. When COVID-19 appeared, she saw her working reality change.

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26 / 03 / 2021

“I wonder if I’m a slave”: Domestic workers in a state of modern slavery

Testimonies from women who are facing the pandemic while trapped in "self-isolation" for months on end.

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17 / 03 / 2021

“Greece will regret not making use of our potential”

As the government appoints a Deputy Minister responsible for integration, images of evicted refugees living on the streets can be seen all over Greece. "Since you don’t want us here, at least let us move on and best wishes to you all,” said the Syrian we met in Karditsa.

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17 / 02 / 2021

Apostolos Kapsalis: “We are travelling in uncharted and stormy seas”

We sat down for a long discussion with the researcher of the Institute of Labor for the phenomenon "Manolada", the realities of migrant workers in Greece, and the challenges that the pandemic brought -and will bring- not only to the agricultural production, but the rights of the ones ensuring it.

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22 / 01 / 2021

Millions in funding at stake for refugee housing

2020 was the year the government vowed to “put NGOs in order” and millions were controversially allocated to tackle the issue. Funding was even granted to NGOs that did not meet the criteria set by the government.

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06 / 01 / 2021

“The state is very funny”

Dandom Howladar owns a mini market in central Athens. Since the pandemic hit, fewer customers shop at his store - and they don’t always have good intentions.

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18 / 12 / 2020

Inside a gardener’s quarantine

For a year and a half, Hamid Nasseri moved daily from the center of Athens to the northern suburbs and took care of the gardens at houses there. Until the coronavirus appeared, the country entered a second lock down, and he was forced to lose his job and income again.

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07 / 12 / 2020

Moria’s “missing” migrants

When multiple fires destroyed Europe’s notorious refugee camp, it became apparent that more than 3,000 asylum seekers were missing already. While authorities remain silent regarding their whereabouts, we met some of them. We witnessed them living in limbo, working under exploitation, and being victims of brutal attacks; crossing borders to reach the “European dream” or failing to do so. We also delved into the government’s practices of fabricating the numbers.

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03 / 12 / 2020

Mahmood in waiting

In 2016 Mahmood left Jalalabad, his hometown in Afghanistan, and embarked on a dangerous journey to Europe. After six months he made it to Greece. We meet him in a flat in the suburbs of Athens, which he shares with up to twelve other compatriots; struggling with the Greek asylum services; making a living on the streets; and strolling through the center of Athens. This is his story.

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26 / 10 / 2020

“Mom, what are Albanians?”

Marios and Mirela came to Greece 24 years ago, and their children were born here. They cultivate garlic − a local product which has helped the region of Platykampos, Larissa, gain international attention. But they are still waiting for Greek citizenship.

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16 / 10 / 2020

The questionable safety in ‘safe zones’

Theoretically, “24-hour care and emergency protection” is provided to the unaccompanied minors in the safe zones of the refugee camps. But the cases that Solomon brings to light show that reality is often far from what is expected in theory.

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13 / 10 / 2020

One month after the Moria fire, press coverage on refugees remains restricted

Press restrictions began soon after Moria camp was set up. And they have not ceased − asylum seekers in the new camp are reporting on the deplorable conditions themselves.

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24 / 09 / 2020

Labeled “immigrants”, two-thirds of Moria’s population actually have a refugee profile

The Greek government and major media outlets are presenting the victims of the fire at Moria camp as “immigrants”. However, according to our analysis, the majority will most likely be granted international protection.

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14 / 09 / 2020

Giorgos Tsiakalos: “In Europe, a racist policy is being implemented”

The Emeritus Professor of Pedagogy Giorgos Tsiakalos speaks to Solomon and analyzes in depth the racist policies of the European Union towards mobile populations.

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14 / 09 / 2020

“We are better off here, that place is like a prison”

The Greek government has been trying to relocate victims of the Moria fire to a new temporary shelter. Asylum seekers are reluctant to go there.

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12 / 09 / 2020

“The time-bomb exploded” at Greece’s largest refugee camp

Massive fires burned through Moria – repeated warnings had been made, and ignored, for years.

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04 / 08 / 2020

Name: Unknown – Cause of death: Drowning

"I can't, I’ve had a difficult time processing all this." Since 2012, the registrar of Lesvos has been mainly registering the bodies of unidentified refugees.

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27 / 07 / 2020

The past, the present, and the future depicted in a drawing by young Saad from Syria

"Which government, which country, which policy, what person has the right to deprive Saad of his dreams?"

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07 / 07 / 2020

The grey areas on the list of the greek media outlets’ payments for COVID-19 awareness campaign

Athens Voice received more money than LIFO. The Athenian newspaper Efimerida ton Syntakton only got as much as a local paper. There were 239 websites that received money although they were unregistered news outlets. The publication of the list revealed inconsistencies in the payments the media received for the coronavirus public awareness campaign "We Stay Home".

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26 / 06 / 2020

The thorn in our side: racially-motivated violence in Greece

Attacks on refugees, attacks on the LGBTQI community, police officers as aggressors. This year, the findings of an annual report by the Racist Violence Recording Network (RVRN) are, once again, concerning.

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17 / 06 / 2020

“I didn’t know I had to tell my story somewhere”

Keita is from the Ivory Coast and has been living in Athens since 2010. As a minor, he decided to leave his family and pursue his dream to play football. But things didn't quite work out as he expected.

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08 / 06 / 2020

Pushbacks: The eternal denial of the Greek government

With mounting evidence and growing allegations of illegal deportation operations along the Greek-Turkish border, the Greek government maintains “ignorance”.

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22 / 05 / 2020

“We are kind of speechless today” – Lime quits Athens, downsizes Thessaloniki’s operation

After pausing its operations in Greece amid COVID-19, Lime announced to employees it is shutting down its services in Athens.

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07 / 05 / 2020

For asylum seekers who are unaccompanied minors, COVID-19 creates new challenges

He made the journey from Afghanistan to Greece. He lived inside the biggest refugee camp in Europe, was transferred to different places across the country, and dreamed of many European destinations - and then a world pandemic erupted.

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16 / 04 / 2020

Something’s up with Lime

The multinational company Lime, worth €2 billion, suspended its operation in Greece due to COVID-19. A months-long investigation, however, reveals that the problems began long before the pandemic.

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03 / 04 / 2020

Thousands of agricultural workers in Manolada are “staying home” – in shacks

The strawberry season has already begun, and at least 7,000 harvesters from Bangladesh are currently in Manolada. While agricultural production has decreased due to COVID-19, difficult living and working conditions raise further concerns.

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31 / 03 / 2020

Vacant houses and millions of homeless at risk

With the spread of COVID-19, citizens around the world are being asked to stay home and follow strict hygiene rules. But what about people who don't have a home?

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21 / 03 / 2020

“In Turkey there were 40 of us in a small, covered truck”

We met Raz in the afternoon of Sunday, January 21, 2020 at the We Need Books in Kipseli, Athens. He had gone to arrange Greek lessons, which he intended to start. "I am forced to. For my papers, for the language test. So as to bring my wife here," he told me in fluent Greek.

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18 / 03 / 2020

How the Aegean islands became a warehouse of souls

It was four years ago, March 2016, when the EU-Turkey Joint Declaration to curb refugee flows was signed.

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12 / 03 / 2020

The tandoor of Moria

Afghan wood-fired ovens are an example of people's attempt to resist a regime of detention which imposes misery as normality.

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06 / 03 / 2020

“Take this tent, they told us, and find somewhere to put it”

We met Ghulam and Ghulam Ali on February 11, 2020, at the canteen across the main gate of the Moria Reception and Identification Center on the island of Lesvos.

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13 / 02 / 2020

Whether it’s patients suffering from mental illness in the ’90s or the current refugee crisis – the same social stigmas apply

Two stories from two different time periods, seemingly unrelated to each other, point to the timelessness of deep-rooted fears towards ‘the other’ which generate scapegoats and reflect people’s worst reactions and behaviors.

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10 / 02 / 2020

Refugees with disabilities – the most overlooked among the invisible

The case of Malik, a young refugee child with Down’s Syndrome, who has not received the help he needs, unfortunately is not the only such case one comes across throughout Greece’s refugee camps

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27 / 01 / 2020

The “self-taught” Greek Asylum Service

Waiting for months at a time for their applications to be considered, many asylum seekers have had negative experiences with the Greek Asylum Service. Conversely, the employees of the Asylum Service try, with every means possible, to overcome hardships which run deeper than what’s visible on the surface.

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20 / 01 / 2020

The chronicle of a dozen deaths foretold

The living conditions that asylum seekers endure at the Moria Reception and Identification Center on Lesvos have become infamous. Insiders who know about the inhospitable environment at the camp are not surprised by clashes which have turned deadly. Residents have persistently asked for more security.

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10 / 12 / 2019

How the refugee issue became a “migration crisis”

When the new government came to power in July, they completely changed the language used to discuss the refugee crisis, and most of the media conformed. We did some fact-checking to determine what has been said to date and what is actually in effect.

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22 / 11 / 2019

Manolada, where nothing has changed: Justice but also criminal sentences that can be paid off

In 2014, the Manolada case files were permanently closed in the courtrooms, but the working and living conditions of the immigrant agricultural workers in Manolada, which first "shocked" public opinion in 2006, remain the same.

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18 / 11 / 2019

What’s the cost of finding a job?

Hundreds of small "OAEDs" across the country (most operating illegally) are replacing the Greek state's deficient job-placement services and exploiting immigrants (and others) in their need to find work.

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11 / 11 / 2019

Distance-hating

Can you hate someone you don't even know? Sociologists and media researchers whose work focuses on Poland, have been surprised in recent years to find that the country has one of the highest rates of Islamophobia in Europe.

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09 / 10 / 2019

The profit banks earn from the refugee crisis − in numbers

Each month, and for a certain period of time, some refugees receive a small benefit. However, from this small payment multiple beneficiaries have emerged.

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17 / 09 / 2019

Reproductive rights in the Balkans: abortion as a right and option

Theoretically, abortion is legal in the Balkans. In reality, women who decide to terminate a pregnancy face various obstacles, from social stigma to legal restrictions.

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06 / 08 / 2019

Giants in Agrafa: a wind farm in the heart of an environmentally-protected area

Despite the urgency to produce energy with a smaller environmental footprint, authorization to install Renewable Energy Sources in protected areas raises questions − especially when compliance laws are not fully upheld.

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24 / 07 / 2019

Displaced by coal (part two)

A journey to Western Macedonia where the region’s villages are being wiped off the map by coal mining.

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23 / 07 / 2019

Displaced by coal (part one)

A journey to Western Macedonia where the region’s villages are being wiped off the map by coal mining.

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18 / 07 / 2019

Western Thessaloniki’s “1984” (or crisis management for environmental decline)

In late 2017, a mass "mapping" of those speaking out against the pollution of western Thessaloniki was revealed. The issue received little publicity, while the most "foul" questions remain unanswered.

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13 / 06 / 2019

The Exodus of Erdogan’s Persecuted

Following the political unrest in Turkey which generated a wave of persecution against critics of Erdogan's government, thousands of Turkish citizens are now seeking asylum in Greece.

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11 / 06 / 2019

New items on the daily menu for delivery workers

Whether it’s food deliveries via motorbike or other services, delivery workers are demanding better working conditions, in an industry that employs thousands of people in cities across Greece; it’s an occupation that is affected by work-related, fatal accidents.

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03 / 05 / 2019

May day in the midst of the Greek trade unionism’s cold

While labor in Greece has been hit hard by economic recession, workers' trust in trade unionism has been declined. The problems of Greek Trade Unions are indisputable.

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17 / 04 / 2019

When Mao censored Antonioni

China by Michelangelo Antonioni was different from what the Maoist regime had hoped to present to the West in the 1970s.

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10 / 04 / 2019

The feng shui of money: Greece’s Golden Visa program

The facts about the Golden Visa program - the illegal and legal practices of the foreign and Greek companies involved and the impact on the real estate market.

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28 / 03 / 2019

What’s left from the European Left?

The left-wing parties in Europe are experiencing internal disputes and seeking new alliances. The shrinking of SYRIZA seems to have created a gap that will not be filled easily.

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27 / 03 / 2019

Munting Nayon: An open village for the children of the world (and a nursery school for hard working parents)

A children’s day care center that began as a DIY emergency solution for Filipino immigrant parents in Greece has evolved into a unique multicultural school.

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21 / 03 / 2019

The timeless victor of the European ballot box

In view of the European elections, it’s not difficult to guess who the most persistent winner across Europe will be.

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18 / 03 / 2019

If your food delivery man handed you the real menu of their everyday lives: Τhe story of Mohammed

The story of an employer’s unaccountability towards an immigrant delivery man, the race against time for 3 euro per hour and trade union interventions to combat extreme exploitation.

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14 / 12 / 2018

How the economic crisis in Greece affected birth rate

Young people, too weak to free themselves economically and socially, will continue to refrain from their “contractual obligations” – thus fueling the baby recession.

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11 / 07 / 2017

The story of a woman behind hijab

A woman from Iran describes how her life with hijab used to looks like.

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Our Team

Iliana Papangeli

Managing Director

Iliana is a journalist and editor with a focus on migration and the environment. She has been nominated for the European Press Prize 2021 and won the IJ4EU Impact Award 2022. She has participated in several cross-border investigations and her work has been published in media across Europe. She has served as a jury at the IJ4EU Impact Award 2023 and the Evens Journalism Prize 2021. She has a background in Psychology and Social Anthropology.

Stavros Malichudis

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

Journalist & data editor

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

Administrator

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.

Apostolis Fotiadis

Researcher/journalist

Apostolis covers EU policy issues including developments in population movement, security and defence, privacy and big data policies. In the past, he has co-operated with many international media outlets and organisations. He has authored numerous reports, published two books on EU migration and border control policies and has been a member of numerous cross-border investigations. He currently co-operates with investigative outlet Solomon and also works as a freelance researcher.

Danai Maragoudaki

Journalist

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.

Gigi Papoulias

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.

Galatia Iatraki

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.

Nasruddin Nizami

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.