ZAGREB, 13.09.2017. – The Croatian Journalists’ Association (CJA) condemns repeated action of torching certain number of copies of Novosti Weekly and calls Mr. Andrej Plenković, the Prime Minister, to express clearly his opinion about threats against journalists.
When this summer Novosti journalists were accused for spreading hate and inspiring fires in Croatia, CJA pointed out that those accusations are nothing but incitements against these journalists and called for reaction from high state officials. No official had any reaction, not even the Prime Minister.
After members of A-HSP party recently torched some copies of Novosti in front of its publisher’s headquarter repeating that Novosti had been spreading hate and inspired fire along Croatian coast, the Prime Minister Mr. Plenković laconically stated that it was no problem and that A-HSP was anyhow minor party.
Yesterday members of that same party, led by its president Dražen Keleminec, torched again some copies of Novosti Magazine blaming it for spreading hate and asking for termination of financial support to the Magazine through the State Budget. As previously, this incident was followed by many threats against Novosti journalists, expressed directly or at social networks.
CJA insists for the Prime Minister Mr. Plenković to finally strongly condemn threats against Novosti and all other journalists. He has not done that yet. By avoiding clearly expressed opinion about violent behavior against journalists being inadmissible, he just inspires it. And it starts with insults and threats, is followed by torching newspapers and ends in physical violence against journalists.
Saša Leković, CJA president for the CJA Executive Board