The order closing down ERT is an "attack on democracy, it is its symbolic and real abolishment", the DNS, one of the two journalists' associations in Slovenia, said in a written statement on Wednesday.

The association moreover condemned the move as an encroachment on the right of the public to be informed and "toying with the fate of more than 2,000 employees, which under the pretext of saving will undermine the power of the public service and oversight over decision-makers".

This is why the DNS believes that the closure will reduce transparency of how the government operates "at a time when people in Greece are having to renounce many rights".

The association expressed the hope that the step, designed to help Greece meet its debt bailout obligations, would not offer a "tempting example" to other countries, including Slovenia.

The association urged the Slovenian government to seek a debate at the highest level within European institutions on "totally unacceptable and anti-democratic steps of the Greek government and the troika".

The decision to temporarily close down ERT was the Greek government's response to the demand by the troika comprised of the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund to lay off thousands of public employees.

The Greek government said the public broadcaster would be reopened in late August with about 1,200 staff, down from over 2,600 before the closure.