Several hundred journalists rallied in front of the government headquarters in Zagreb on Wednesday in protest against a bill tabled by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic’s ruling conservative party HDZ (EPP), which seeks to criminalise leaks from ongoing corruption investigations.
The protest was organised by the National Association of Journalists (HND), which says that the bill is an attempt to cover up corruption cases. The Croatian media landscape is traditionally dominated by graft scandals that often originate from leaked investigation documents and depositions supplied by anonymous sources.
The bill, first announced about a year ago, includes a provision that makes it a felony if anyone related to an ongoing investigation leaks confidential information to the public without authorisation.
After journalists slammed the bill, Justice Minister Ivan Malenica (HDZ) told reporters on Tuesday that the government decided to include a caveat stipulating that leaks would not be criminalised if the information published is “for the most part, in the public interest.”
On Wednesday, protesters dismissed this compromise and demanded that the article be scrapped entirely.
“Yesterday’s parade, with changes made at the last minute, is merely a cheap political trick which Plenkovic and the government used in an attempt to dismiss justified criticism from journalists and all of us who care about living in a fair and just society,” Hrvoje Zovko, leader of HND, told protesters.
“We are appalled by the fact that you [the government] have never denied that journalists would not [because of this law] end up having their phones and laptops seized… And until courts determine what exactly is ‘public interest’ in trial cases, this [bill] opens the way to possibly months-long harassment of our colleagues, and also to intimidation of whistleblowers,” Zovko warned.
Protesters also claimed that the bill is expressly designed to protect Plenkovic after leaked text messages from a corruption investigation involving two former senior HDZ officials mentioned an identified person referred to as “AP” – leading local media to dub the new bill “Lex AP.”
Local media also suggest that this is being done on purpose in what might be a crucial election year. Although the exact date has not yet been set, the country is expected to hold separate parliamentary elections and presidential elections this year – in addition to the EU elections in June.
Also on Wednesday, members of a Croatian democracy and transparency NGO Gong spoke at an event about combating so-called SLAPP frivolous lawsuits against media outlets, which the EU Parliament hosted.
Speaking on behalf of Gong, lawyer Sanja Pavic said that the bill – as well as the government’s ongoing appointment of a controversial judge known for suing journalists as the new state prosecutor – speaks volumes about the stifling of freedom of speech in Croatia.
“These are concerning regressive trends for the freedom of speech and journalism,” Pavic was cited in a press release, adding that “the highest price for this will be paid by people who will not be able to access relevant information about the work that the powerful are doing – or not doing.”
(David Spaic-Kovacic | Euractiv.hr)
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Source: euractiv.com
