THE INITIATIVE OF JOURNALISTS FOR THE LIBERTY OF MEDIA AND NONPOLITICAL CROATIAN JOURNALIST SOCIETY
Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2005 5:47 PM
Subject: ICTY court in Haag and media freedom – Open Letter
OPEN LETTER TO THE MANAGEMENT OF JOURNALIST SOCIETY AND TO THE CROATIAN PUBLIC ON THE OCCASION OF THE DAY OF THE LIBERTY OF MEDIA
The statement made by the vice-president of the Croatian Journalist Society Zdenko Duka about the indictments against three Croatian journalists, Ivica Marijacic, Domagoj Margetic and Stjepan Seselj being appropriate, and his ²arbitrating² that these journalists should be brought to answer in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), because they have violated the ²Statute of ICTY², are juxtaposed to the existence and the fundamental principals of the journalist guild association. The shameful act of the Journalist Society Management is unprecedented in journalism in general.
At the time when our colleagues are threatened by draconian, long-term imprisonments and penalties, it is logical to expect that the Croatian Journalist Society would offer them professional and fellow-like support, regardless of the fact whether these journalists are members of the Society or not.
Through this act the Croatian Journalist Society has lost the ability to be a legitimate association defending the journalist profession, and it has ranged itself into the political elitist group subjecting thus the journalistic profession to its communist-colored ideological commitments. We call the management of the Croatian Journalist Society to withdraw its original statement and act according to the principals for which they got the mandate chosen by the majority of Society members, and these are – protection of all journalists and liberty of media. If not, we will demand unconditional withdrawal of the management of the Croatian Journalist Society.
Zagreb, 1st May, 2005
THE INITIATIVE OF JOURNALISTS FOR THE LIBERTY OF MEDIA AND NONPOLITICAL CROATIAN JOURNALIST SOCIETY
For the initiative:
Davor Ivankovic, Tomislav Drzic, Diana Rexhepi
Zagreb, Croatia
