Actual attacks on journalists, Hrvoje Bajlo, Zadar, 24.06.2018.

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    Country CRO
    Name and Surname Hrvoje Bajlo
    Gender Male
    Date 24/06/2018
    City / Location Zadar
    Type of incident Actual attacks on journalists
    By whom To journalists by citizens By public officials
    Type of media print online
    Media name Nacional/ZADAR News
    Source CJA
    Legal closure Decision on the merits is made
    Legal closure decision 22.1.2020. A final verdict was handed down at the Bjelovar County Court, finding Jakov Surać guilty and sentencing him to 10 months of unconditional imprisonment for beating journalist Hrvoje Bajlo.
    Judiciary status 22.3.2019. The Zadar Municipal Court handed down a non-final verdict against Jakov Surać, who is facing charges of threatening and inflicting severe bodily injuries on Zadar journalist Hrvoje Bajlo in June 2018.
    Was journalist`s association informed Yes
    What was journalists' association reaction CJA's and Reginal Platform's announcement was sent to local authorities and international organizations.

    Hrvoje Bajlo, who has been following ways the town of Zadar has been managed and has documented links between Zadar’s political, business, sports and law social spectrum, was attacked on Sunday, June 24, 2018 in the evening at the parking lot in Zadar, by a former NK Zadar soccer player and today a businessman Jakov Surać. According to Bajlo’s report, the physical attack was preceded by insults directed to Bajlo. The attacker said Bajlo wrote for “Chetnicks’ Index” and “shit of Nacional weekly” and threatened to “cut his head off” if he went on writing about his friends Zdravko Livaković, Božidar Kalmeta and HDZ. The insults were followed by punches on Bajlo’s head and body, he was thrown to the ground, beaten again; he eventually fainted. At the Zadar Emergency Hospital, he was diagnosed with a right arm fracture and series of injuries on his body and head. Injuries have been qualified as severe.

    In previous years Hrvoje Bajlo has been threatened and insulted because of his uncompromising work in journalism. Even though all of those threats were reported to the police, none of them have been solved yet. On 26th of June, Surać was released from custody by the County court of Zadar. In the court order signed by Hrvoje Visković, the investigative judge in charge of the case, it is stated that conditions for pre-trial custody exist due to „specific circumstances that the suspect will repeat the offence“. However, milder precautionary measures were prescribed instead – a restraining order and prohibition of contact. Judge Visković has stated for the Croatian news agency HINA that, according to his opinion, “there is no danger of repeating the offence“.