Croatia Journalists: Govt is ‘Watering Down’ Anti-SLAPP Directive

Hrvoje Zovko, president of the Croatian Journalists' Association. HND. Photo: SNH

Members of the Croatian Journalists' Association, HND, on Monday unfurled a banner reading: "What are you afraid of?" in front of the Croatian Ministry of Justice and Administration and held a press conference where they expressed concern about the government's position on the Anti-SLAPP Directive, calling it very "watered down".

The purpose of regulating SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation), is to deter plaintiffs and shorten court proceedings to last only as long as necessary for the court to determine that it is SLAPP, it was said at the press conference in front of the Ministry of Justice and Administration.

The president of the HND, Hrvoje Zovko, said SLAPP lawsuits were an attack on freedom of speech, used by politicians, entrepreneurs and even judges to persecute journalists in litigation and criminal cases.

"Croatia is the worst member state in the European Union [for SLAPPs]. Although the Ministry of Culture and Media has established a working group dealing with the issue … we are not satisfied. For five years, we have been listening to the declaratory promises of the government, which does nothing concrete," he said.

He added that, although there are no significant obstacles in the Croatian legal system for the introduction of standards that would protect journalists and other SLAPP targets from pending litigation, the government has sided with the general approach of the Council of the EU, which has significantly diluted the proposal of the European Commission.

According to the latest HND research on lawsuits for damage to reputation and honour filed against journalists and the media, 945 lawsuits are active in...