Actual attacks on journalists, Melita Vrsaljko, Nadin, 16.7.2024.

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Actual attacks on journalists, Melita Vrsaljko, Nadin, 16.7.2024.

Translations: Zagreb 

  • Case info

  • Personal info

  • Regional center
    Zagreb
  • Who was attacked?
    Journalist
  • Gender
    Woman
  • Victim(s) name
    Melita Vrsaljko

  • Media outlet

  • Name of the media outlet
    Faktograf and Climate portal
  • Type of media platform
    Online Media
  • Source of information about the incident
    Journalists Facebook account

  • Incident Data

  • Date of incident
    16.07.2024
  • City
    Nadin
  • Were authorities informed?
    Case was reported to the police
    Case was reported to the Prosecutor’s Office
  • Perpetrator(s)
    Known (suspected)
  • Attacked by
    (ordinary) citizens
  • Means of incidents and attacks
    In person
  • Type of incident
    Actual attacks on journalists
  • Type of attack
    attack_murder_attempt

  • Action by the authorities

  • Police action
    Despite witnesses and video recordings, the police characterized the attacks as offenses against public order and peace, in which Melita Vrsaljko allegedly participated.
  • Public prosecutor's action
    The State Prosecutor's Office is conducting an investigation.
  • Court action
    The case was initiated at the Municipal Court in Zadar. Criminal Proceedings 9 December 2025 – At the Municipal Court in Zadar, an indictment was filed against the second defendant, Iva Perić, for the criminal offence under Article 139, paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code, committed to the detriment of Melita Vrsaljko, a journalist for the portal Faktograf and the Climate Portal.
  • Legal status of the case
    Indictment filed by the prosecutor
  • Type of violation
    Serious bodily injury

  • Action taken by the journalists' association

  • Was journalist's association informed by the journalists directly?
    Yes
  • What was the reaction of the journalists' association?
    The association reacted publicly
    The association sent a letter of concern to the institutions
    The association informed international organizations and institutions

After already experiencing one attack on July 15, the attacker’s daughter forcibly entered Melita Vrsaljko’s home on July 16. Vrsaljko was physically assaulted, the attacker tried to take her phone, pulled her hair, and choked her while threatening to delete recordings of her father and force her to apologize. In self-defense, Vrsaljko was forced to bite the attacker to free herself and call the police.