Helen Vlachos

Helen Vlachos
Ελένη Βλάχου
Born(1911-12-18)18 December 1911
Athens, Greece
Died14 October 1995(1995-10-14) (aged 83)
Athens, Greece
Occupation(s)Journalist, author

Helen Vlachos (UK: /ˈvlækɒs/, US: /ˈvlækoʊs/; Greek: Ελένη Βλάχου, Eléni Vláchou; 18 December 1911 – 14 October 1995) was a Greek journalist,[1][2] newspaper publishing heiress, proprietor, and anti-junta activist.[1][3][4][5]

Soon after the coup of 21 April 1967, she closed down her newspaper Kathimerini as a protest against the dictatorship. In October 1967, her description of one of the junta principals, Brigadier Stylianos Pattakos, then Minister of the Interior of the junta, as a clown, led to her house arrest, for which she later wrote a book under the same title.

For her refusal to acquiesce to the Greek junta's demands that she censor her publications, her resistance against the regime of the colonels, and her contributions to freedom of the press, she was posthumously recognised as one of the World Press Freedom Heroes by the International Press Institute.

  1. ^ a b Jennifer Steinhauer (16 October 1995). "Helen Vlachos, Greek Publisher And Foe of the Junta, Dies at 85". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 March 2013. Ms. Vlachos was a legend in Greek journalism…
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference independent.co.uk was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Helen Vlachos Obituary". The Herald (Glasgow). 19 October 1995. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  4. ^ "Elena Vlakhou". britannica.com. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  5. ^ "Helen Vlachos; Greek Newspaper Publisher". LA Times. 18 October 1995. Retrieved 15 March 2013. She was placed under house arrest after she described one of the ruling army colonels as "a clown".