April 9, 2014

09/04/2014: CROATIA – ARTICLE 148 AND SLAVICA LUKIC

Vienna, 09/04/2014

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) demands from the Croatian authorities to remove “humiliation” from the Criminal Code.

According to Article 148 of the Criminal Code, introduced 2013, the court may sentence a journalist if the information published is not considered as of public interest.

Slavica Lukic is the first journalist prosecuted under this article of the Criminal Code. Convinced of the public importance of the news, she reported that a company, despite the substantial public funding received, had economic problems. The company stated it felt “humiliated” and condemned the journalist. The judge sentenced her to a fine.

Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO Secretary General see in this case “a step to silence journalists”. According to Vujovic, this law can stop independent, critical and investigative journalism in Croatia. “The law might limit freedom of information in Croatia and should be abolished”, Vujovic added.