ZAGREB, April 20, 2019 - The Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) agreed with the Reporters Without Borders' warning that Croatia's public TV (HRT) is under political pressure and that the government meddles in the editorial policy, while HRT said the public broadcaster "is independent of any political influence or pressure from promoters of commercial interests."

Croatia gained five places in the Reporters Without Borders' 2019 World Press Freedom Index, ranking 64th, but the organisation warns about political pressure on public TV, physical assaults on and intimidation of journalists on the Internet.

"Government meddling in... Croatian Radiotelevision continues to be a real problem... Interest groups try to influence its editorial policies and interfere in its internal operations" and the "HRT management is even suing employees who have complained about these problems," the organisation noted.

"The HND has for years been warning that Croatian Radiotelevision is one of the biggest problems on Croatia's media scene, because the public service should be a stronghold of free journalism and an institution which promotes pluralism, which it is not," HND president Hrvoje Zovko told Hina.

HRT's lawsuits against its employees, the HND and the media, are "a disgrace for Croatia and it's no surprise that in its latest index Reporters Without Borders underlines HRT as one of the main obstacles to press freedom," said Zovko.

"Generally, press freedom in Croatia is in danger and we believe the prime minister's approach to this problem is dangerous because he negates the existence of a problem everyone else sees," he added.

In a reply to Hina, HRT dismissed the Reporters Without Borders' warnings, saying it "is independent of any political influence or pressure from promoters of commercial interests." HRT said it was independent in its programming and editorial policies and that it fully complied with the HRT Act and its agreement with the government.

More news about media freedom in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, February 27, 2019 - The national broadcaster, Croatian Radio Television (HRT), on Tuesday condemned a statement by MP Gordan Maras (SDP), who said that "HRT is suing its own reporters for two million kuna," underlining that Maras's claims are incorrect and that over the past two years HRT has launched lawsuits against the publishers and editors-in-chief of other media outlets.

"HRT most sharply condemns yesterday's statement by SDP MP Gordan Maras, who threw out an HRT reporter, cameraman and technician from a press conference, stating incorrectly that 'HRT is suing its own reporters for two million kuna.' It is not true that HRT is suing its own reporters: the lawsuits filed over the past two years were launched against publishers for publishing untruths and damaging HRT's honour and reputation, as well against chief editors for not issuing denials, which... they are obliged to do in accordance with the Media Act," HRT's communication service said in a press release.

The press release further said that it had received a letter on Tuesday from the South East Europe Media Organization which sharply condemned Maras's actions, considering them unprecedented political pressure on a public television in the European Union.

HRT has forwarded a letter to its Programme Council and Supervisory Board, asking them to review all the facts and legal aspects related to Programme Council vice president Nikola Baketa's attending a press conference convened by the GONG NGO, which called for a boycott of HRT.

HRT added that the first settlements with sued publishers were underway and that HRT would release a list of the people being sued and cases on its web site.

More news about Croatian Radio Television can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, February 24, 2019 - The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has joined the two-week boycott of the Croatian Radio Television public broadcaster, launched by NGOs in a show of support for journalists and media outlets that have been sued by the public broadcaster, the SDP said in a press release Sunday.

The SDP will not appear on or give statements for HRT in show of support to journalists and the media, the press release said.

Thirty civil society organisations earlier this month said they would boycott the HRT until March 2, for when a protest rally of journalists has been scheduled, in a show of support for journalists and media outlets that have been sued by the public broadcaster.

They said in a letter that the purpose of their boycott is to draw attention to the absurdity of the situation in which a public broadcasting service is suing media outlets and journalists over their reporting on how public money is being spent, thus undermining freedom of the press in Croatia through intimidation and pressure.

The HRT has so far filed at least 36 lawsuits against media outlets and journalists, seeking 2.3 million kuna (311,000 euro) in damages.

Rather than with lawsuits and pressure, a public media service should protect its reputation and independence by supporting journalists, improving the quality of its programming and management, and with other activities aimed at protecting and not undermining freedom of the press, the letter said.

The letter said the official position of the European Federation of Journalists is that the HRT is the worst public service in Europe in terms of independence, adding that filing lawsuits is a problematic way of spending taxpayers' money and an unprecedented practice of a public broadcaster in Europe.

More news on the Croatian Radio Television can be found in the Business section.

ZAGREB, February 21, 2019 - Thursday's parliamentary debate on the appointment of Antonija Petrušić to the supervisory board of the HRT public broadcaster turned into a debate on the HRT and lawsuits against journalists, with the opposition requesting quality public broadcasting and supporting 30 civil society organisations in their boycott of the HRT and a protest to protect journalism announced for March 2.

"We can't talk about the appointment of a member to the HRT supervisory board without saying what the situation there is like because the HRT management has been deliberately left without supervision to do as it pleases," said independent Bojan Glavašević.

Supporting the upcoming protest, he said the HRT was the worst public broadcaster in Europe in terms of independence. The HRT has such devastatingly low viewership that the Electronic Media Agency recently stopped measuring it.

The HRT does not fight for investigating journalism and programme quality, said Gordan Maras of the Social Democratic Party.

Boris Milošević of the Independent Democratic Serb Party said he had especially taken issue with "the promotion of a book on Jasenovac where not only the Holocaust was denied, but also that any crime had happened." Jasenovac was a WWII death camp in Croatia.

He recalled that the SDSS had expressed dissatisfaction a number of times with the share of ethnic minority programmes, the lack of personnel in charge of ethnic minority issues, and programmes in minority languages. "Only in Croatia do we have the public broadcaster suing its own journalists. We don't have that anywhere in Europe."

Ivan Pernar of Živi Zid called for boycotting the HRT and cancelling the licence fee, saying he was not paying it.

Miro Bulj of MOST said the HRT was carrying out Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's programme.

More news on the Croatian Radio Television can be found in the Business section.

ZAGREB, February 9, 2019 - The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) will raise the issue of Croatian public broadcaster HRT lawsuits against journalists at a meeting of partners in social dialogue between the audiovisual sector and the European Union, the Croatian Journalists Association (HND) said on Saturday.

The EFJ says in its February newsletter that secretary general Ricardo Gutierrez attended a round table in Zagreb a few days ago called "Journalist before the courts", organised by the HND. The topic was intimidation of journalists and media with lawsuits and lack of independence on the HRT.

The EFJ informs its members that the HRT management has brought 33 lawsuits against journalists, including HND president Hrvoje Zovko and the president of the HND's branch on the HRT, Sanja Mikleušević Pavić, the HND said, adding that the EFJ once again called on the HRT to drop the lawsuits.

More news on the media freedom in Croatia can be found in the Politics section

ZAGREB, January 24, 2019 - The parliamentary media committee on Wednesday unanimously adopted a conclusion urging both the public broadcasting service Croatian Radio and Television (HRT), which sued some of its journalists, and the Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) to solve their dispute by agreement.

The committee's conclusion reads that freedom of speech is a constitutional value and that a free press is a pillar of democracy and an important democratic safeguard.

The discussion on the HRT lawsuits was tabled by six opposition lawmakers after in late 2018 the HRT sued the HND and HRT journalists for 500,000 kuna in damages over their public statements. The public broadcaster claimed damages for "gross violations of reputation, honour and name."

One of the suits was filed over a statement by the HND's HRT branch of September 11 in which its journalists distanced themselves from scandals on the HRT at the time, including the sale of FIFA World Cup tickets. The HRT management demands 200,000 kuna in damages from the HND and 50,000 kuna from the president of the HND's HRT branch, Sanja Mikleušević Pavić.

The opposition lawmakers consider the lawsuits as a form of pressure on reporters.

Furthermore, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) have called on the HRT management to withdraw recent lawsuits against the HND, its president Hrvoje Zovko and the president of the HND branch at the HRT, Mikleušević Pavić, the HND said on Wednesday.

The HRT director-general Kazimir Bačić said today that the broadcaster was ready to drop the lawsuits if the defendants withdrew their claims about censorship in the national broadcasting company.

Bačić went on to say that censorship is a criminal offence and being the HRT director-general he was obliged to file a lawsuit to protect the HRT against false accusations.

The HRT has not lodged the lawsuits against reporters but against individuals, he insisted.

More news on the freedom of media in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 23, 2019 - The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) have called on the management of Croatian public broadcaster HRT to withdraw recent lawsuits against the Croatian Journalists Association (HND), its president Hrvoje Zovko and the president of the HND branch at the HRT, Sanja Mikleušević Pavić, the HND said on Wednesday.

The HND recalled that between Christmas and New Year the management filed lawsuits against the HND, Zovko and Mikleušević Pavić for alleged criminal acts against the HRT's honour and reputation, seeking 500,000 kuna in damages.

According to the Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa NGO, journalists in Croatia are being sued for defamation with increasing frequency, including about 20 suits filed in the last few months against eight media. "It's a clear example of censorship," the HND said.

The IFJ and EFJ have joined the Western Balkan's Regional Platform for Advocating Media Freedom and Journalists' Safety in asking the HRT to withdraw the lawsuits as soon as possible. “Managers of HRT should stop pressuring HND... and harassing representatives of the journalists’ association,” IFJ secretary-general Anthony Bellanger has said.

EFJ secretary-general Ricardo Gutiérrez has reminded Croatian authorities that a recent European Union report on media pluralism in Croatia pointed out the "politicised appointments and dismissals in the public service broadcaster HRT".

The report also mentions the "systematic political interference" in HRT management appointment procedures. "The dismissed Supervisory Committee submitted a 2016 report to the Parliament in which it exposed many irregularities in the management of the public service media. The report displays the state of the serious management crisis," the HND said.

More news on the Croatian Radio Television can be found in the Business section.

Popular radio host Davor Dretar will no longer be heard on the Croatian Radio, Croatia’s national radio broadcaster. According to unofficial sources, his contract has not been extended. On its own, that would not be a particularly interesting decision; however, the firing happened just a few days after Dretar was covered by the Croatian media because he used an event in Križevci to criticise HDZ member of Parliament Josip Đakić, reports Večernji List on January 15, 2019.

Dretar was the host for an event marking the 70th anniversary of the Radnik company in Križevci. At one point, he said that, in addition to being an entertainer and comedian, he has had a private company for 25 years, but is struggling daily with “the slow and completely uninterested state bureaucracy.” He also added that he had to care for two children, the wife and the mother, and stated that "nobody asks how ordinary people feel like.”

Đakić was in the audience but was looking at his mobile phone the whole time. Dretar complained about it and then left the event. Although everyone thought he was joking, Dretar did not return.

“Many people wonder what I said in Križevci. I said what is clear to everybody among the honest and hard-working people in Croatia. And when comedians do not feel like laughing...” wrote Dretar in a post on Facebook.

When asked to confirm the information that he was not offered a new contract with the Croatian Radio-Television, he answered he could not say anything about the topic for the moment. As expected, the HRT also did not comment. “As usual, the Croatian Radio-Television does not comment on labour issues,” responded the HRT.

As for the radio, it was decided that the morning show, which Dretar was hosting together with Frano Ridjan, would be anchored by just one host in the future. After 17 years of working for Narodni Radio, Dretar moved to the second programme of the Croatian Radio in 2015. From March last year, he hosted the morning show on Tuesdays and Fridays. Also, he occasionally hosts shows on Nova TV, the most popular TV station in Croatia.

More news on the media freedoms in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.

Translated from Večernji List (reported by Samir Milla).

ZAGREB, January 3, 2019 - The Croatian public broadcaster HRT on Wednesday dismissed claims it was denying freedom of thought and practising censorship, and insisted that it "honours constitutional values that guarantee freedom of expression and thought."

The HRT responded to statements by Hrvoje Zovko, a Croatian Television (HTV) editor who serves as president of the Croatian Journalists' Association (HND), and Sanja Mikleušević Pavić, the head of the HND branch at HTV, saying that it had brought defamation charges against the two for stating that the HRT was practising censorship even though they knew this was not true. The company also filed a lawsuit demanding that the two return a laptop and other equipment issued to them for work purposes.

The broadcaster noted that in its report of January 2018, in the preparation of which the HND was involved, the South-East Europe Media Organisation (SEEM) did not mention any violations of freedom of the press by the Croatian Radiotelevision, but on the contrary SEEM found that progress had been made since its previous reports.

The Croatian Radiotelevision said that its financial situation was stable and that, following government guidelines, it had reduced losses, regained banks' trust, considerably reduced interest rates and the costs of external contractors, and increased work efficiency.

Citing data from the European Broadcasting Union, the broadcaster said that it ranks among the most viewed public television stations in Europe.

The HRT's reaction came after the HND leaders last week strongly condemned the lawsuits brought by the HRT management against the HND and HRT journalists. The HRT seeks over 500,000 kuna (67,500 euro) in damages because of their public statements. The HND described the Croatian Radiotelevision's move as "an unprecedented attack on the work and activity of the HND branch, intimidation of the journalists and an attempted financial attack on the HND."

A Slovenian member of the European Parliament, Tanja Fajon, described the HRT's latest act against the HND as yet another unacceptable attack on freedom of the press, while the Western Balkans platform for media freedom and safety of journalists, which represents over 8,000 members, strongly condemned the HRT's move and demanded that it withdraw its lawsuits and stop exerting pressure on the HND, describing such actions as unacceptable and unworthy of a public service broadcaster.

More news on the Croatian Radiotelevision can be found in our Business section.

ZAGREB, December 28, 2018 - The Croatian Journalists Association's (HND) leadership on Friday condemned in the strongest terms the latest suits by the HRT public broadcaster's management against the HND and HRT journalists for 500,000 kuna in damages over their public statements, calling it "an unprecedented attack on the work and activity of the HND branch, intimidation of journalists and attempted financial attack on the HND."

HND president Hrvoje Zovko, an HRT journalist and editor, said at a press conference that HND journalists and its HRT branch recently received suits in which the HRT claimed damages for "gross violations of reputation, honour and name."

One of the suits was filed over a statement by the HND's HRT branch of September 11 in which the branch journalists distanced themselves from then current scandals on the HRT, including the sale of FIFA World Cup tickets. The HRT management demands 200,000 kuna in damages from the HND and 50,000 kuna from the president of the HND's HRT branch, Sanja Mikleušević Pavić.

Zovko said that in two other suits the HRT claimed from him 250,000 kuna as compensation for the damage he allegedly caused the HRT with his public statements after being fired from the HRT and before being rehired, only to be immediately suspended.

"As far as I know, this is the only case in which a public television is suing a professional association... In the HND, we see this as an attack on and as financial intimidation and destruction of us and the HND. This is an unprecedented form of censorship and pressure by people running Croatian Radio-Television."

Zovko said the HND had already notified Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and that they would soon notify all relevant Croatian and European institutions as well as international professional organisations.

"This aggression by the HRT and the people who run it should be ended. They are punishing the professional association whose job it is to question the work on the media scene and are suing the people who are pointing to the erosion of programmes and irregularities on the HRT, and I don't know that anyone has been held to account for the omissions in programmes or the revisionist statements on the HRT. They can't sue us as much as we can warn about the irregularities on the HRT," said Zovko.

Mikleušević Pavić said citizens paid subscription and had the right to know how their money was being spent and about the irregularities in the HRT's operations.

"It's certainly not in the interest of Prime Minister Plenković, as a pro-European politician, that such images of extreme repression against journalists on the public broadcaster are going out. This is just the continuation of repression against undesirable journalists on the HRT, which was followed by financial penalisation. This is also an act of destruction of the HRT's credibility, reputation and honour, but we believe it's also a shameful attempt at intimidation."

She spoke of the HRT's omissions, the exodus of its journalists, and its lawsuits against journalists from other media who pointed to irregularities and programme omissions.

HND vice president Denis Romac said the latest suits were the grossest attack on journalists and the HND. He said the Programmes Council recently rejected an HRT work programme for 2019 and that this confirmed that the HRT's programming had already collapsed.

Another HND vice president, Slavica Lukić, said international professional organisations had already warned about the erosion of the HRT's reputation and programmes.

More news on the Croatian Radio Television can be found in our Business section.