Abstract
Political libel cases always present a widespread interest due to the eventual conflict between freedom of expression and respect of personal reputation. Inasmuch as both principles are equally safeguarded in the area of the protection of human rights, one might ask how to achieve a balance of the different interests. What are the relevant criteria and what is the level of liability required for the award of damages? This article is an effort to review and analyse the solutions provided by the US Supreme Court, the European Commission and Court of Human Rights and Greek jurisprudence, since all three have already established an interesting case-law. The author examines the similarities and differences between the American and the European legal thought and presents her own argumentation on the subject. In addition, it is discussed if and how the Greek law is influenced by the Strasbourg case-law, since the Greek Constitution in itself recognises the supremacy of the ECHR.
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