“I am relieved that Vaxevanis was released from custody after a brief detention, and trust that he will now be tried in a transparent manner considering the acute public interest in the case,” Mijatović said.

“I am confident that the Greek courts will find the right path between respecting confidentiality and privacy and at the same time ensuring the public’s right to know,” she added.

Kostas Vaxevanis a prominent Greek journalist who published the names of more than 2,000 wealthy Greeks with Swiss bank accounts appeared in court yesterday to stand trial on charges of violating data privacy laws.

Vaxevanis’s trial was adjourned soon after starting until Thursday. He could face up to three years in prison if convicted. “I was doing my job in the name of the public interest,” Vaxevanis told a crowd of supporters outside court, according to Kathimerni. “Journalism is revealing the truth when everyone else is trying to hide it.”

Vaxevanis criticised Greek media – which, apart from Ta Nea, have avoided any mention of those on the list and to cover his magazine’s revelations in-depth.

The list has been named after Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund who was the French finance minister when it was handed over. Hot Doc said the list was sent to it anonymously.

The situation has sparked controversy in a near-bankrupt country now in its fifth year of recession, where austerity measures have taken a heavy toll on the poorer sections of society. Greece’s international lenders have long demanded the country do more to fight evasion.

Opposition leader Alexis Tsipras has called for charges against Vaxevanis to be dropped and he ridiculed prosecutors for going after the journalist, rather than those on the list.