The Croatian Journalists’ Association (CJA) strongly condemns the inflammatory articles and incitement to hatred towards colleagues working at the Novosti weekly and Vida TV, published in the latest issue of Hrvatski tjednik. The article, authored by Ivica Marijačić, literally states, “Croatia pays nearly 80 instigators in Pupovac’s media nests for a special war against Croatia.” Preceding this extremely dangerous text was a horrifying cover page headline stating: “Plenković is paying this €600,000! 80 Pupovac media mercenaries from the two nests Novosti and Vida TV paid by Plenković with our money for a special war against Croatia.”
Labeling certain journalists and media outlets, whose publisher is the Serbian National Council, as “Chetnik nests,” “ultra-Serbian chauvinists,” “haters of Croatia and the Croatian people,” and “enemies of the state,” constitutes hate speech that should be addressed by criminal prosecution authorities in any democratic country. It is reasonable to consider this as incitement to hatred against members of the Serbian national minority in Croatia and journalists working in the mentioned media outlets. In this context, the publication of the names of editors, journalists, and collaborators of Novosti and Vida TV, cannot be interpreted otherwise than incitement to violence against these individuals on a discriminatory basis.
The writing of Hrvatski tjednik from issue to issue, obsessed with the alleged endangerment of the majority population, is not journalism, and there cannot be talk of freedom of speech. This is the worst kind of media mire used to incite hatred towards all minority groups in society, towards journalists and politicians they disagree with. In short, towards anyone who thinks differently. The same magazine engages in historical revisionism, referring to Ante Pavelić as a “great patriot.”
Moreover, the editor-in-chief of this obscure and inflammatory weekly, Ivica Marijačić, was sentenced last year, as reported by the media, to a one-year prison term with a three-year probation period for revealing the identity and publishing photos of a minor rape victim. By a non-final verdict of the court in Zadar, he was found guilty of the criminal offense against marriage, family, and children – violation of the child’s privacy.
It is worth mentioning that – according to the verdict in the “Fimi media” affair – three million kuna stolen from public companies were forwarded to the owner of Hrvatski tjednik, Ivica Marijačić, to prevent him from writing against the Croatian Democratic Union.
For the Executive Board of the CJA,
Hrvoje Zovko, President of the CJA
Chiara Bilić, Vice President of the CJA
Dragutin Hedl, Vice President of the CJA
