ZAGREB, October 3, 2019 - The Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) on Thursday sharply condemned the criminal complaints filed by Krešimir Krsnik, the lawyer for rape suspect Damir Škaro, against a rape victim and a journalist and editor of the Nova TV commercial television channel for divulging a secret.
The HND denounced the move by Krsnik as an act of intimidation and harassment and an attempt at discouraging journalists from covering such topics.
This move "is also a message to victims not to share their traumas with the public and not to point their fingers at the perpetrators, as well as to journalists not to deal with such topics. We hope and believe that Nova TV, the Provjereno programme and its entire team will not give up, will not be intimidated and will continue doing their job professionally as they have so far," the Association's president Hrvoje Zovko said.
He added that this case was confirmation of repeated warnings by the HND about journalists, editors and entire media organisations being harassed by lawsuits and that in the coming days the HND would inform the public about other cases as well. He said that the HND fully supported their colleagues at Nova TV.
The HND's reaction came after Krsnik filed a complaint against the rape victim for divulging a secret and against a journalist and editor of the Provjereno programme for incitement to divulging a secret. The lawyer tried to prevent the programme from being aired in early September and showing the testimony of the woman who accused Škaro of raping her.
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