CJA condemns judge Maja Šupe as she verbally attacked journalists

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Source/Author: CJA
Source/Photo: CJA

ŠIBENIK, 12.10.2017. – During continuation of re–trial for Tomislav Horvatincic at Šibenik County Court, who has been accused of causing accident at sea with fatal consequence for Salpietro married couple six years ago, judge Maja Šupe verbally attacked journalists again.

„Croatian justice is not a circus and this trial is not a joke as presented in media. I am not furious judge, as some portals call me, I am not corrupted judge, this is not corrupted court, and we do our work professionally and with responsibility. The Croatian Journalists Association (CJA) attacked me claiming I was responsible to the people. But that is not a fact, I am not responsible to the people“, the judge shouted to court reporters and they published her words.

The CJA condemns that repeated attack against journalists by judge Maja Šupe. We want to remind you that her first „clash“ happened at the same trial in February this year.

Then judge Šupe stated that the first Horvatincic trial was not covered objectively and that journalists did not deal with facts. „All that happens because journalists covering court procedures are not educated and do not know Criminal Law. Journalists and media house have no right to evaluate my final judgements. For my work I am responsible only to the County Court, Supreme Court and to the Ministry of Justice“, said the judge to the journalists present at the court in her rather long monologue and not stating any example of nonprofessional behavior of reporting.

After he latest verbal attack of judge Šupe against journalists, again without any specific objection regarding reporting about the trial, we want to remind you about the content of the CJA reaction after her first verbal outburst on February.

„Judge Maja Šupe should know that she is responsible not only to higher courts and to the Ministry of Justice, but even to the public. Journalists are not a party in the court procedure and they are responsible to their editors, newsrooms and to the public. The CJA advocates respecting the CJA Code of Ethics and all professional standards when reporting. We constantly warn journalists about that. If judge Maja Šupe finds some journalists have reported unprofessionally, she should, like anybody else, report those misconducts to the CJA Ethical Council or to publish correction or answer to the information published. What she should not do is „to give a lesson“ to journalists in court about the way they should do their job“, was stated in the CJA PR.

At the end of that PR the CJA asked the Association of Croatian Judges to distance itself from the moves of judge Šupe. As it has not been done yet we ask them to do it now.

 

Saša Leković, CJA president for the CJA Executive Board