Press freedom 2003

Stipe Mesic
President of Croatia

Ivica Racan
Prime Minister of  Croatia

Sime Lucin
Minister of Internal Affairs of Croatia

Your Excellency,

The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), is deeply concerned about the attack on Ninoslav Pavic, co-owner and president of the Managing Board of Europapress Holding (EPH), the biggest independent newspaper publisher in Croatia.

According to information before SEEMO, a bomb underneath Pavic's car exploded in front of his house in Zagreb at 4 a.m. (local time) on 1 March
2003. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the attack.

SEEMO believes that the aim of the attack was to intimidate and silence journalists working for EPH, especially journalists for the weekly Globus
and daily Jutarnji list, who have published numerous articles about organised crime and corruption in Croatia. In the past, journalists for
Globus and Jutarnji list, as well as other media in Croatia, have been harassed, intimidated and threatened because of their investigative
reporting. During recent months, the number of these threats has increased significantly. The bomb that exploded under the car of Pavic is the
culmination of these events, and the authorities have done little to investigate these cases.

SEEMO strongly condemns the attack on Pavic, as well as the other cases of intimidation against journalists in Croatia, and calls upon the authorities
to carry out an immediate and thorough investigation and to bring to justice those responsible. Furthermore, we ask you to do everything in your power to ensure that journalists working in Croatia are able to safely carry out their profession.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Oliver Vujovic
SEEMO Secretary General