Actual attacks on journalists, Siniša Vuković, Split, 7.5.2026.

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Actual attacks on journalists, Siniša Vuković, Split, 7.5.2026.

Translations: Zagreb 

  • Case info

  • Personal info

  • Regional center
    Zagreb
  • Who was attacked?
    Journalist
  • Gender
    Man
  • Victim(s) name
    Siniša Vuković

  • Media outlet

  • Name of the media outlet
    Novosti
  • Type of media platform
    Freelancer
  • Source of information about the incident
    Novosti editor

  • Incident Data

  • Date of incident
    07.05.2026
  • City
    Split
  • Were authorities informed?
    Case was reported to the police
  • 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
    Physical attack without physical injury

  • Action by the authorities

  • Police action
    May 10, 2026: the criminal investigation of a 57-year-old man was completed, establishing reasonable suspicion that on May 7, 2026, on the Obala hrvatskog narodnog preporoda waterfront in Split, he committed the criminal offence of making threats against a 53-year-old journalist, pursuant to Article 139, paragraph 3 of the Croatian Criminal Code. May 11, 2026: the attacker was handed over to the custody supervisor along with the criminal complaint. Note: In this case, the authorities acted in accordance with the Protocol on Police Conduct Upon Learning of a Criminal Offence Committed Against Journalists and Other Media Workers in the Performance of Their Duties, signed by the Croatian Ministry of the Interior with the Croatian Journalists’ Association and the Trade Union of Croatian Journalists.
  • Legal status of the case
    The procedure is in the investigative phase
  • Type of violation
    Security threat

  • Action taken by the journalists' association

  • Was journalist's association informed by the journalists directly?
    No

On the Riva promenade in Split, on May 7 at around 3:50 p.m., an attack occurred against Siniša Vuković, a freelance contributor to Novosti, who was accompanied by his wife and several other family members. According to his account, an unknown man approached him from behind and shouted insults at him for writing for the “Chetnik Novosti,” telling him to “write about Jasenovac,” and yelling “fuck Tito.” As he passed by the journalist, the attacker cursed his “damned mother,” then grabbed a hoe from a nearby stand (the Riva was full of stalls for the St. Domnius festivities) and ran toward the journalist with it. The journalist managed to move away in time and escape. The attacker followed him for a few more steps, then threw down the hoe and left. The journalist immediately called the police, who arrived shortly afterward and filed a report.