Hundreds of journalists staged a protest in front of the government headquarters in Zagreb on Wednesday against a bill introduced by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković’s ruling conservative HDZ party (EPP) that would criminalise leaking information in corruption investigations, Euractiv reports.
The protest was organised by the National Association of Journalists (HND). According to the organisation’s representatives, the bill tries to cover up corruption cases. Croatian media is often dominated by corruption scandals, which often originate from leaked investigative documents and testimonies provided by anonymous sources.
The controversial bill was introduced about a year ago. It includes a provision that would impose criminal penalties if anyone involved in an ongoing investigation passes confidential information to the public without authorisation.
After journalists criticised the bill, Justice Minister Ivan Malenica (CDU) told reporters on Tuesday that the government had decided to include a clause stating that leaks would not be considered a crime if the information published was “for the most part in the public interest”.
On Wednesday, however, protesters rejected the compromise and demanded that the clause be cancelled altogether. Hrvoje Zovko, leader of HND, told protesters:
Yesterday’s parade, with changes made at the last minute, is merely a cheap political trick which Plenković 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. 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.
Protesting journalists believe the bill is specifically designed to protect Plenković after leaked text messages in a corruption investigation involving two former high-ranking former HDZ officials mentioned a person named “AP”, leading local media to call the new bill “Lex AP”.
According to local media, this is being done on purpose in what could be a crucial election year. The country is expected to hold separate parliamentary and presidential elections this year – in addition to the EU elections in June.
On Wednesday, members of Gong, a Croatian non-governmental organisation working on democracy and transparency, spoke at an event against the EU Parliament’s so-called SLAPP frivolous lawsuits against the media.
Lawyer Sanja Pavic, a representative of the Gong organisation, said that this bill, as well as the government’s appointment of a judge known for suing journalists as the new state prosecutor, speaks of the suppression of freedom of speech in Croatia. Pavic was cited in a press release:
These are concerning regressive trends for the freedom of speech and journalism. 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.
