Threats against the lives and limbs of journalists, Ivan Žada, Virovitica, 22.05.2018.

Translations: Zagreb 

• Case info

• Personal info

• Regional center

  Zagreb
• Gender

  Male
• Victim(s) name

  Ivan Žada

• Media outlet

• Name of the media outlet

  Virovitica.net
• Type of media platform

  Online Media
  
• Source of information about the incident

  HND

• Incident Data

• Date of incident

  22.05.2018
• City

  Virovitica
• Perpetrator(s)

  Not known
• Attacked by

  (ordinary) citizens
  
• Type of incident

  life_threat

• Action by the authorities

• Action taken by the journalists' association

• Was journalist's association informed by the journalists directly?

  Yes

The threats started when Virovitica.net portal published several articles related to the town policy such as re-naming of streets. One street got the name of Mile Budak, Minister in the Croatian Independent State (NDH). Ivan Žada, several times awarded journalist, was called „piece of dirt“ at the Facebook. Even more, the message stated that „Croatia should be cleaned from those people“. That is just an example of multiple threats to the journalist Žada and Virovitica.net editor in chief Goran Gazdek.

After articles dealing with the town topics (city graveyard does not pay taxes to be competitive, City Company Flora VTC forces its employees to get vaccinated against flu under threats of being fired) even the Virovitica Mayor Ivica Kirin joined the campaign against journalist and the portal. That, of course, caused new threats with new messages for Žada and Gazdek – they should go away, they will disappear „in the fog“, they are traitors, UDBA members, Yugonostalgic etc.