Helen Vlachos facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Helen Vlachos
Ελένη Βλάχου
Born	Helen Vlachos (1911-12-18)18 December 1911 Athens, Greece
Died	14 October 1995(1995-10-14) (aged 84) Athens, Greece
Occupation	Journalist, author

Helen Vlachos (Greek: Ελένη Βλάχου, Eléni Vláchou; 18 December 1911 – 14 October 1995) was a very important Greek journalist and newspaper owner. She was known for standing up against the military government that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974.

Soon after the military took over in 1967, she closed her newspaper, Kathimerini. This was her way of protesting against the new rulers. In October 1967, she called one of the military leaders, Stylianos Pattakos, a "clown." This led to her being placed under house arrest. She later wrote a book about this time.

Helen Vlachos refused to let the military government control what she published. She fought for freedom of the press. Because of her brave actions, she was later named one of the World Press Freedom Heroes. This is a special award for journalists who have shown great courage.

Helen Vlachos's Early Life and Career

Helen Vlachos was the daughter of Georgios Vlachos. Her father started Kathimerini in 1919. This became one of Greece's most important newspapers. Helen began working as a journalist for her father's newspaper.

In 1936, she reported on the Berlin Olympics. During World War II, her father refused to work with the Nazi government that had taken over Greece. So, he closed Kathimerini. Helen worked as a nurse during the war.

After the war, Helen Vlachos went back to working at her father's newspaper. She wrote a popular column simply called "E," which stood for "Eleni," her name in Greek. She became very well-known in Greece. She often used her column to criticize the government.

When her father passed away in 1951, Helen took over Kathimerini. She made the newspaper even bigger. She started an afternoon edition called Mesimvrini (Noon edition). She also launched Eikones (Pictures), which was the first illustrated magazine in Greece. She also created Ekdosis Galaxia (Galaxy Publishers), which printed high-quality paperback books. Helen supported the king and certain political groups in Greece.

Standing Up to the Military Rulers

On April 21, 1967, a coup d'état happened in Greece. This meant the military took over the government by force. Helen Vlachos arrived at her newspaper office very early that morning. She was shocked and confused. She quickly planned the only edition of her newspaper that would be printed during the military rule. She also gathered photos and other materials. She believed these could be important later to show what had happened.

The next day, Helen Vlachos made a big decision. She refused to let the military government control what her newspapers printed. As a protest, she closed down Kathimerini and her magazine Eikones. This was a huge disappointment for the military rulers. It meant they couldn't use her popular newspapers to gain support. They were surprised because they thought the owner of a right-wing newspaper would support them. Her action was one of the first open acts of resistance against the military government.

The military rulers tried to pressure her to restart her newspapers. But she always said no. She criticized them whenever she could. Even the leader, Georgios Papadopoulos, threatened her. But she stayed silent, refusing to answer him. In an interview later, she said her "silence was her loudest voice." She also famously said: "They cannot tell me how to run my newspapers any more than I can tell them how to run their tanks."

Even though her papers were closed, she still went to her office. There, she often spoke out against the military government. She also gave interviews to Italian newspapers. In these interviews, she called the military government a "circus."

In an interview with the Italian newspaper La Stampa, she described the military leaders. She said they were "mediocre and colorless," except for Pattakos, whom she called a "clown." She also said she feared Papadopoulos less than "going to the dentist."

This interview made the military rulers very angry. They sent the police to her house. She was taken to the Athens Military Court and questioned for four hours. She was told she would have a trial. Helen bravely said, "This is going to be a lot of fun!"

Such strong words against the military could have led to jail. But Helen was not scared. She even joked that if she went to jail, she hoped they would feed her meatballs. In October 1967, her description of Pattakos as a "clown" led to her being put under house arrest. She later wrote a book about this time called House Arrest.

Escape to London

In December 1967, while under house arrest, Helen Vlachos planned her escape. She got a fake passport and dyed her hair black with shoe polish to match her new identity. On the night of her escape, the 55-year-old climbed out of her apartment window. She then moved from roof to roof of nearby buildings in the cold Athens night. Finally, she reached the street.

Two days later, she was on her way to London. She had successfully escaped with help from her friend Leslie Finer. He worked at the Greek Embassy in Washington and arranged a secret British flight for her. In Britain, she was given political asylum, which meant she could stay there safely. Soon after, she started working against the military government from exile. She joined forces with other activists like Melina Mercouri and Amalia Fleming.

Helen loved Britain and its people. She spoke English very well and used her humor to criticize the military government. She knew that British people appreciated humor. In 1970, she published House Arrest. This book shared details about her life under the military rule before she escaped to London.

In London, she became the editor of the Hellenic Review. This was a magazine for Greeks living in Britain. While working there, she got a secret document. It showed how the military government was trying to spread propaganda in London. The document showed that a British Member of Parliament (MP) was being paid to work as a lobbyist for the military government. This caused a big political scandal. It embarrassed the military government and hurt its reputation even more. This event also led to the creation of the Register of Members' Interests in the British Parliament. This register makes sure that MPs declare any payments they receive.

Return to Greece and Later Years

In 1974, the military government fell, and Helen Vlachos returned to Greece. She immediately restarted her newspapers. She became a politician for the New Democracy party under Konstantinos Karamanlis. This was during Greece's first democratically elected Parliament after the military rule ended. However, she later resigned from politics. She found journalism much more exciting than politics.

In 1987, she sold Kathimerini to George Koskotas. In the 1990s, she published her memoirs called Peninda kai Kati: Dimosiographika Chronika (Fifty Something: Journalistic Chronicles). This title referred to her more than sixty years of working in the newspaper business. She had two homes, one in Athens and one in London. She spent her retirement traveling between them.

Helen Vlachos passed away on October 14, 1995, in Athens, at the age of 84. She received a state funeral. Many political leaders and hundreds of journalists attended to honor her.

Recognition and Legacy

Helen Vlachos is recognized as one of the World Press Freedom Heroes. This award is given by the International Press Institute. She received the award after her death in 2000.

Andreas Papandreou, who was the Prime Minister of Greece, spoke about her. He said, "She was a truly great figure in Greek journalism... She was unwavering in her principles and her beliefs... Her immediate reaction to the coup of 21 April 1967, by stopping the publication of Kathimerini and her other publications, is a crowning moment of resistance in the field of journalism."

A special award, "The Eleni Vlachou Award," is named in her honor. It is given every two years since 2003 by the German embassy in Greece. This award celebrates Greek journalists who show excellence in reporting on European and international topics.

Marriage

In 1935, Helen Vlachos married Ioannis Arvanitidis. They later divorced. In 1951, she married again, to Konstantinos Loundras.

See also

In Spanish: Helen Vlachos para niños