On 25 September 2024, Ana Brakus, the executive director of Croatia’s fact-checking portal Faktograf.hr (https://faktograf.hr/author/ana-brakus/), received a disturbing letter at her office in Zagreb, Croatia. The letter, addressed to both Brakus and the editor-in-chief of the Climate portal, contained a note stating, “Please check the information I’m sending you,” alongside a piece of soiled toilet paper with what appeared to be human feces. Brakus shared this unsettling experience in an online post on LinkedIn. She wrote: “I’d love to say that this is the worst thing we ever received, but it’s far from it. It does take the title of the most disgusting one.“
This incident is part of a troubling pattern of intimidation targeting Faktograf’s journalists in 2024, which has included a smear campaign and even physical attacks. Earlier this year, journalist Melita Vrsaljko and a cameraman faced violent attacks over climate reporting. Such threats against media professionals raise significant concerns about press freedom and safety in Croatia. It’s imperative that authorities take these incidents seriously, ensuring protection for journalists and holding those responsible accountable. The continued targeting of Faktograf’s staff is an unacceptable assault on media freedom and must be addressed promptly.
You can read previous SEEMO article on Melita Vrsaljko case here: https://seemo.org/ressources/19-07-2024-seemo-condemns-attacks-on-journalists-melita-vrsaljko/
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the recent threat and harassment directed towards Ana Brakus, executive director of Faktograf.hr, which included a vile letter containing a piece of used toilet paper. This disturbing act of intimidation is part of a broader pattern of attacks on Faktograf’s journalists, including smear campaigns and physical assaults on journalists like Melita Vrsaljko. Such acts are not only unacceptable but also a direct attack on media freedom. SEEMO calls on Croatian authorities to thoroughly investigate these incidents, ensure the safety of all journalists, and take firm action against those responsible. SEEMO will be closely monitoring the situation to ensure that press freedom is protected and upheld in Croatia.
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.
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