(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – According to Article 19, the Croatian Journalists’ Association has launched a campaign to reform Croatia’s defamation laws. The following is the full text of the statement released in support of that campaign: We the undersigned would like to express our whole-hearted support for the initiative announced on 20 April 1998 by the […]
(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – According to Article 19, the Croatian Journalists’
Association has launched a campaign to reform Croatia’s defamation laws. The
following is the full text of the statement released in support of that
campaign:
We the undersigned would like to express our whole-hearted support for the
initiative announced on 20 April 1998 by the Croatian Journalists’
Association (CJA) to promote reform of Croatia’s libel laws.
The need for such reform has been highlighted recently by a barrage of libel
suits, both civil and criminal, against journalists and publishers. The 500
such suits currently pending before the Croatian courts – many of which have
been filed by members of the ruling party – are having a very detrimental
effect on freedom of expression and the press. These cases are costly and
time-consuming and the threat of imprisonment is never far from journalists’
thoughts.
This problem is clearly illustrated by the case of Davor Butkovic, former
editor-in-chief of “Globus”, acquitted on 20 April 1998 of charges of
criminal defamation brought by 23 ministers in President Tudjman’s
government (updates IFEX alerts of 17 and 2 April 1998). Had he been
convicted he could have faced up to eight years’ imprisonment.
We fully endorse this initiative by the CJA and call on the government to
co-operate with the CJA in good faith and to undertake a program of reform
of the defamation laws to bring them into line with international standards
of freedom of expression.
Amnesty International
ARTICLE 19
Canadian Committee to Protect Journalists
Committee to Protect Journalists
Human Rights Watch
International Federation of Journalists
International Press Institute
International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
Open Society Institute
Reporters sans Frontieres
World Association of Newspapers
World Press Freedom Committee
