We appeal once again to the members of the parliament to reject the Law of Dangerous Intentions, which is an attack on the profession, journalists, media, whistleblowers, and the public. If this shameful law is adopted, the Croatian Journalists’ Association (CJA) will continue to fight against LEX AP and against arrogant Croatian politicians, said ahead of the vote in the Croatian Parliament on amendments to the Criminal Code at a press conference of the Croatian Journalists’ Association, where CJA President Hrvoje Zovko and Vice President Chiara Bilić spoke.

Zovko also warned and condemned yesterday’s scandalous and shameful behavior of Prime Minister Plenković towards N1 television journalist Mira Moralić, emphasizing that such a mode of communication is unacceptable, especially considering the role that Moralić holds. “The only sensible thing Andrej Plenković can do is apologize to journalist, but unfortunately, given his ego and past behavior, I don’t think that will happen,” said Zovko.

The President of CJA emphasized that Plenković doesn’t hesitate from emotional blackmail and attempts to rush everything to conclusion so that the Law passes at the last moment, just before the dissolution of the Parliament. “CJA rejects LEX AP and calls on all colleagues to continue their work in the public interest to prevent plunder and lawlessness being enforced,” said Zovko, reminding that if this law were in force, journalists who published the correspondence of Turudić – Rimac (Pleslić), would already be under investigation and would be harassed.

Zovko added that it is frightening that none of the ruling officials denied that our colleagues would have their laptops, phones confiscated, and their private correspondence investigated under the new provisions of the infamous Article 307. “Therefore, cja will be available at all times to anyone who may be affected by this shameful law, and all possible assistance will be provided to them,” said Zovko, who added that Plenković, with his behavior and actions, increasingly resembles the two main autocrats in Europe, Vučić and Orbán.

cja Vice President Chiara Bilić added that it is obvious that the Prime Minister intends to control the Croatian media. “It has become his obsession, especially in the last four years, when he suggests and repeats to journalists what should be the topic and what should not. He thinks he can tell journalists what and how to write, and when journalists ask him specific questions, he attacks them, as was the case with colleague Moralić,” said Bilić, who also commented on the shameful behavior of Plenković’s office at yesterday’s conference, where microphones were set up like skittles. “This is unacceptable and an attack on journalistic tools. Where does he get the right for that?” Bilić asked, adding that Plenković has been targeting journalists for years, and LEX AP is a result of such behavior of the authorities towards journalists and the public.

Responding to a question about threats to journalists, Zovko said that CJA has close to a hundred documented threats or physical attacks on journalists in its records, and they face threats via emails or social media daily, which are the sources of such attacks against journalists, for which the political leadership is responsible for their attitude and behavior towards journalists and media.

“We warn Plenković that if anything bad happens to journalists, we will hold him directly responsible for such a situation, as he cannot be absolved of it,” Zovko said, stating that it is incredible that even after more than three decades, politicians do not understand or do not want to know what the job of journalists and media is in democratic societies.

Zovko finally reminded of CJA’s open letter to Croatian citizens about the dangers posed by amendments to the Penal Code. The letter was co-signed by 18 major media outlets, and some other outlets have since joined with their signatures. All other editorial boards are also called upon to lend their support and join the fight against LEX AP, which directly threatens media freedom.

Journalism students and journalists participating in the second edition of the Academy for Information Integrity delved into the field of cyber security within the media landscape this past Saturday.

Led by Prof. Dr. Blerim Rexha, a distinguished professor at the University of Pristina’s Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, this module emphasized the importance of cyber security measures. Discussions ranged from safeguarding personal data to protecting sensitive information relevant to their journalistic endeavors.

Additionally, participants discussed different online tools and strategies aimed at protecting their data, ensuring the security of both themselves and the media platforms they operate within. Experiences and challenges encountered in the field of cyber security were openly shared among participants, fostering a collaborative learning environment.

With this module, the second edition of the Academy for Information Integrity, which is supported by NDI Kosovo and USAID Kosovo, was concluded, and in the following weeks, the participants of this edition will go on a study visit in the region, where they will have the opportunity to exchange experiences with colleagues.

Before the decision of the Croatian Parliament on amendments to the Criminal Code introducing a new criminal offense of unauthorized disclosure of the content of investigative or evidentiary actions, the Croatian Journalists’ Association addressed the following open letter to the citizens of Croatia, co-signed by 18 media outlets:

The Croatian Journalists’ Association (CJA) addresses all citizens of the Republic of Croatia with an open letter once again warning of the harmfulness of adopting amendments to the Criminal Code – known as the “Lex AP” – for media freedom and the public’s right to be informed, which the Government of the Republic of Croatia has submitted to the Croatian Parliament for adoption.

Article 307.a of the Criminal Code “Unauthorized Disclosure of Content of Investigative or Evidentiary Action” is unacceptable to the HND, and we demand its withdrawal.

The public must know that the introduction of such a legal solution is an attack on the journalistic profession and public interest, and an open assault on whistleblowers.

If such a Criminal Code were currently in force, our colleagues who have been publishing the content of messages exchanged between a former state secretary and the elected chief state prosecutor for days would have been questioned several times already in informational interviews.

If such a Criminal Code were in force, the Croatian public would have been deprived of a whole series of scandals uncovered by our colleagues, which citizens must know about.

Although the proposer, as a guarantee to journalists that they will not be subjected to repression, included public interest as a reason for excluding unlawfulness in the legislative proposal and explicitly excluded journalists as possible perpetrators, instigators, or accomplices in the act of unauthorized disclosure of the content of investigative or evidentiary actions, this is not the case.

The CJA warns citizens of the worrying fact that our colleagues may have their mobile phones, laptops, and archives confiscated, as well as their emails intercepted. Their homes and apartments can be searched. As part of investigative actions, the prosecutor or police officer can call a journalist for an informational interview, not once, but as many times as they deem necessary. They can obtain lists of their telephone contacts, call colleagues and editors for interviews.

In the case of such a criminal offense, the aim of the investigation is to uncover the perpetrator, i.e., the person who made information of public interest available to journalists, and the journalist who published the story will be the starting point for investigators.

Such actions will result in every potential whistleblower carefully considering before approaching a journalist if they know that the police and prosecutors will search their contacts and collaborators. If this happens, we will all be deprived of key information, and the CJA is obliged to warn the public about it again.

The CJA calls on all colleagues to continue publishing stories of public interest professionally, as they have done so far. The CJA will provide concrete assistance to anyone who comes under attack from this law.

For the Croatian Journalists’ Association,

Hrvoje Zovko, President

Chiara Bilić, Vice President

Dragutin Hedl, Vice President

The letter is co-signed by:

Dražen Klarić, Editor-in-Chief of Večernji list

Goran Ogurlić, Editor-in-Chief of Jutarnji list

Ivan Buča, Editor-in-Chief of 24sata

Jelena Valentić, Editor-in-Chief of Telegram.hr

Sandra Lapenda Lemo, Editor-in-Chief of Slobodna Dalmacija

Andrea Radak, Editor-in-Chief of Novosti

Berislav Jelinić, Editor-in-Chief of Nacional

Zdravko Milinović, Editor-in-Chief of Globus

Igor Alborghetti, Editor-in-Chief of Express

Tihomir Ladišić, N1 Croatia

Silvija Šeparović, Editor-in-Chief of Yammat FM

Ines Brajević, Editor-in-Chief of Dalmatinski portal

Dražen Majić, Editor-in-Chief of Istra24

Željka Gavranović, Editor-in-Chief of PlusPortal

Ivor Fuka, Editor-in-Chief of Lupiga

Davorka Blažević, Editor-in-Chief of Tris

Vedran Gvožđak, Editor-in-Chief of KAportal

Goran Gazdek, Editor-in-Chief of Virovitica.net

The Coalition for Media Freedom is concerned about the fact that, during the inspection, regarding the actions of Belgrade Police Chief Veselin Milic at the press conference on May 3, 2023, the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Data Protection determined that there was no omission by the Belgrade Police Chief, but that the media that reported on the conference were to blame for the disclosure of information about minors. In this way, the institution of the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Data Protection showed a deep misunderstanding of the journalistic profession as well as the role of the media in a democratic society.

We remind the public that journalists did not come in an illegal way to the list of children who are underage K.K. wanted to kill, but the list was made available to the public precisely by the chief of the Belgrade police, who showed the list at a press conference. The position of the Commissioner, according to which the law was violated by journalists and the media reporting from the press conference, is not only contrary to the basic postulates of freedom of expression, but also contrary to the basic rules of logic.

We ask the Commissioner how it is possible that the one who made the information available to the public is not responsible, but that the one responsible is the one who conveyed the information, and that information was made available to the public by the Belgrade police chief personally at a press conference? Why did information and lists appear at the press conference that journalists should not convey?

We invite the Commissioner, if he has not already done so to the journalists of BIRN, to answer the public what he has learned so far during the inspection, whether it can really be concluded from the minutes of the inspection carried out so far that the law was violated by the media that reported on it from the press conference, and not the one who showed the list and thus made it available to the public and to use his own powers to end the inspection, regardless of the internal control procedure, because we believe that the Commissioner has enough information to make a decision whether in the specific case, the law was broken or not.

The Coalition for Media Freedom: the Association of Media, the Association of Online Media (AOM), the Independent Association of Journalists of Vojvodina (NDNV), the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS), the Business Association of Local and Independent Media “Local Press”, the Slavko Curuvija Foundation and Branch Trade Union of Culture, Arts and Media ‘Nezavisnost’