30.09.2016.

Journalist Ema Branica was threatened by a person who was part of the story in Nova TV show „Provjereno“ (Confirmed). As he was not satisfied by his treatment in the story, he sent the message to the journalist she would end like late Ivo Pukanić, who was killed some years ago in front of his publishing house. That threat is clearly a death treat. „Provjereno“ crew last week broadcasted story about the man who pretended to be female to becharm old and demented male to seize their properties.

The same man said to the journalist he could „slap her in the face badly“ and spit on her calling her names. CJA applauds the fact that he was apprehended as confirmed by Zagreb Police. We certainly hope he will be punished accordingly.

There were also threats against journalists who photographed church in Zagreb, Palmotićeva Street, where memorial service was held for high Ustaša officials from NDH who were sentenced to death and executed after the World War Two. Threats against journalist were made through a social network and we find it to be kind of APBs on those journalists.

It is actually a strong abuse of social network, warns CJA and calls for the State Attorney Office to react to this and similar cases to prevent verbal abuse to become physical.

Facebook administrator at „I admit I’m a Croat!“ portal in his comment called journalists in front of Palmotićeva church „creepies“ and „Party administrators who write down who has come to the church as their grandfathers and fathers did (…)“. To make the call for lynch complete, the photo of journalists doing their job in front of the church has been published.

Judging by the comments calling for expulsion, physical violence and death of journalists it can be seen that Facebook status hit its goal. Picture of one of the photo-reporters was even published in one TV show and host lied about the journalist’s job. He claimed the journalist was there to write down names of churchgoers to report on the. The host should have known that even the Croatian Constitution guarantees freedom of religious affiliation. It is the country with Vatican Agreements and religion is the subject in state schools.

CJA wants to remind the public of many cases of death threats and attacks against journalists that have not been closed for years and calls for relevant institutions to find perpetrators and their possible handlers and to punish them finally. Death threats and calls for violence against journalists we find to be direct threat to free journalism as public good and we expect relevant institutions to be quick in responding to those cases.

Saša Leković, CJA president

SKOPJE, 27.09.2016 The detained journalist Zoran Bozinovski, on the 14th September informed management of the prison in Suto Orizari and the court that he will begin a hunger strike. The reason for this decision is the unjustly extension for the detention and the turn and delays in the judicial process. After six months of his extradition to Macedonia the process can not start. Bozinovski in a letter to the prison asked the court to send notice to his lawyer, and the Ombudsman.

But until today, the prison authorities and the court news that Bozinovski is on hunger strike have not been shared with his lawyer and the Ombudsman, with the apparent intention to hide this information from the public.

We are very concerned about the health of Bozinovski, which has been steadily deteriorating since in the past seven days he refused to take food and water. In a week on hunger strike he had lost 20 kg, twice daily receives infusion in order to hold his health in check. His lawyer stated that he is determined to go all the way, or the judge will release him from detention or die in prison! He is convinced that in detention there are no facilities to prepare the defense.

We call on Judge Sandra Krstic to immediately terminate the detention of fellow Bozinovski, otherwise we would personally consider her to be responsible for the possible consequences for the wellbeing of our coleague incurred due to the continuation of the hunger strike.

We also urge the Ombudsman Office to visit Bozinovski in prison and to ascertain his health condition and timely to warn of the consequences if the institutions fail to act appropriately to the situation.

We are strongly supportive of the request to abolish detention for Bozinovski and understand his dissatisfaction how existing institutions act in his case. However I ask you to stop the hunger strike because in this situation the most important thing is his health.

We reiterate that the detention of Bozinovski no longer serves as a measure of security, but as a punishment; Obvious are double standards of the judicial authorities, who easily determine custody for a journalist, but stubbornly refuse to impose the same measure, when suspects are former government officials.

If the court concluded that Former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski from the position of leader of the ruling party can not influence witnesses and investigation, even smaller are the possibilities a journalist to influence vitneses. If the court believes that former ministers suspected of 15 serious crimes will not leave the country even less likely is a journalist to evade justice.

No doubt that Bozinovski has exposed the political process by the government to silence a journalist and discipline others. With persecution of journalists, Macedonia will never be free, democratic and a “European country”.

Statement by the President of AJM Naser Selmani

Skopje, 09.22.2016

27.09.2016.

CJA strongly condemns decision of acting HRT general manager Siniša Kovačić to punish Sanja Mikleušević Pavić, president of CJA Branch at HRT, for „verbal offence“ by pre-dismissal note and start the procedure to dismiss Mirna Zidarić, president of HRT Ethical Council. CJA also condemns decision to make changes in HRT Ethical Codex by the end of September just to have possibility to replace its current members.

HRT Ethical Council at its session September 23, 2016 decided that Sanja Mikleušević Pavić was not guilty of „verbal offence“ – co-signing CJA’s Press Release from September 21, 2016. That PR criticized non-professional behavior of acting HRT management and supported it by documents. The same was confirmed by representatives of the International Mission to Croatia. Among others there were representatives of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the European Broadcasters Union (EBU), that HRT is member of.

In spite of the Ethical Council opinion HRT acting general manager punished Sanja Mikleušević Pavić due to „serial of non-true and non-approved information“that she allegedly made public by co-signing the CJA’s Press Release that challenged prolongation of term for Siniša Kovačić as acting HRT general manager.

By that move Siniša Kovačić accepted charges against Sanja Mikleušević Pavić accused of violating four articles of HTV Ethical Codex by co-signing CJA’s PR in spite of opposite opinion oft he HRT’s Ethical Council that found she had not violated any of mentioned articles. Siniša Kovačić ignored that finding and punished our colleague by pre-dismissal note.

CJA finds it to be an abuse of official position used for revenge against Sanja Mikleušević Pavić, who is very responsible in leading CJA Branch at HRT. CJA also finds it to be form of pressure on CJA as independent professional organization and threat to HRT journalists who might criticize unprofessional moves of HRT acting management.

Our suspicions are based even on the fact that Siniša Kovačić started procedure for dismissal of Mirna Zidarić, president of HRT Ethical Council. We find it to put further pressure on the Council.

All that had its climax in urgent public debate on Ethical Codex changes; about the debate most HRT journalists and other employees participating in creating HRT program were not informed but should suffer consequences of these changes. The debate is open until September 29 and at that very day, literary last day of prolonged term for acting general manager, changes might be approved. And that means replacing Ethical Council members (whose term ends in a year) by new ones.

We call for all CJA members at HRT and other employees not to allow that manipulation. We want to repeat that CJA was strongly opposed to new term for Siniša Kovačić at his position of HRT acting general manager. We will inform all relevant international organizations and EU institutions about these latest events on HRT and about long-lasting damage they might cause.

Saša Leković, CJA president

25.09.2016.

CJA is shocked by Novi list Editorial Board as it publicly accused its own journalist Dražen Ciglenečki for professional oversights he has not done.

In Novi list from Thursday, September 22, 2016 an apology to journalist Gordan Malić was published under the title „Gordan Malić did not harm Croatian nacional security“. It says that „our journalist Dražen Ciglenečki in his article from February 24, 2014 ‘Karamarko hired the agent who failed to pass security screening and polygraph in SOA (Security-intelligence Agency)’ published incorrect and unapproved information thus harming reputation and dignity of journalist Malić“.

The apology is followed by listing those alleged mistakes of Dražen Ciglenečki, including one stating that Gordan Malić was connected to foreign intelligent services that was essential for his brother to fail security screening as candidate for SOA employee.

It is hard to believe that Novi list Editorial Board does not distinguish unapproved and incorrect information from quoting official documents and it makes this move even more odious. Namely, journalist Ciglenečki clearly quoted SOA documents with the same statements now, two years later, his Editorial Board leveled against him. The aim of the article was to inform the public that Tomislav Karamarko, SOA director, hired the person who had failed the security screening.

It is possible that a SOA employee running the security screening did it wrongly and that Gordan Malić had no connection with foreign intelligence services nor with Josip Perković, but it does not change the fact that Karamarko disregarded the findings of his own security screening when hiring Mario Malić. Dražen Ciglenečki did not express any judgment about legality of that act nor did he imply it endangered the national security. He simply informed the public about the fact that SOA director employed the person who failed security screening and supported that by quoting official document.

It is clear, though, that contested statements were not done by Ciglenečki, but by SOA employees who did the screening. Therefore the journalist is not to be blamed; he just quoted these statements writing about an issue of public interest.

After Ciglenečki’s article was published, more details about Karamarko’s directorial period leaked. For example, SOA was employing staff for just one day then transferring them to Ministry of Finances. That speaks a lot about Ciglenečki’s good reasons to publish the story in public interest. Following these information the Parliament National Security Board did monitoring in SOA and found that „at that period there were cases of hiring persons with negative results of security screening at the director’s order“.

Because of that and initiated by the former President of Croatia Ivo Josipović the National Security Council met and in its conclusions it pointed out that „ cases of employing in SOA candidates who had not been proved by security screening were monitored“ and that „although those cases did not constitute formal breaking of law it was inacceptable“ and that „it constituted safety risk and undermined SOA reputation and integrity“.

Novi list Editorial Board (in its unsigned apology) went that far to tell lies about their journalist; they claimed he did not ask other party opinion. On the contrary, Ciglenečki e-mailed Karamarko asking for his comment three days before publishing the article (that was even said in it) but answer never came.

At last, but not least, Novi list Editorial Board accused its journalist for writing an article (the same Board published; it can still be found on Novi list web site) unprofessionally using „high sources“ and „anonymous Governmental sources“ in spite of the fact that no anonymous sources had been mentioned in Ciglenečki’s article. He exclusively quoted official documents.

According to everything mentioned it is evident that Novi list Editorial Board scandalously attacked its own journalist and at the same time violated Ethical Codex of Croatian journalists in the process many times.

Saša Leković, CJA president

Executive Board of CJA’s Branch of Novi list – Rijeka

CJA’s Branch of Novi list – Zagreb Office

13.09.2016.

In 24sata daily on September 9 an article by Tomislav Krasnec was published. In the article Krasnec wrote about results of his checking of existence of a document from 2013 Andrej Plenković in his pre-election meetings said existed, but was confidential. The existence of that document was denied by Neven Mimica, European Commissioner and Zoran Milanović, SDP president. Tomislav Krasnec checked that with European Commission.

Damir Tomić, SDP candidate from Đakovo, IV electoral unit, at his comment on Twitter attacked Tomislav Krasnec falsely accusing him to write pro HDZ. Tomislav Krasnec reported it to Electoral Ethical Council and it decided that Damir Tomić’s comment was offending and insinuating, and that constitutes violation of Electoral Ethical Code.

Croatian Journalists’ Association condemns the SDP candidate’s attack against journalist Krasnić and supports Ethical Council decision. The CJA calls once more every journalist to verify every statement made by politicians during elections and after and to report about every attack they experience while doing their jobs.

Saša Leković, CJA president