Those actions were also condemned by the Media Council of the Croatian Helsinki Committee on Human Rights (HHO), the Croatian Association of Trade Unions, and the Trade Union of Istria and Kvarner.
In a joint statement, the HND and the SNH called on the employer to try find a way out of the situation, which they claimed seriously undermined the daily's reputation, in cooperation with the HND and SNH branches and the Workers Council, in the interest of Glas Istre and the public.
Six journalists, including editor-in-chief Eni Ambrozic, yesterday received a memo from board chairman Zeljko Zmak informing them that they were on suspension and that proceedings had been launched to terminate their contracts due to "distorted behaviour".
HHO said in a statement the purge being carried out by the management represented a grave undermining of the journalists' rights and freedoms in a democratic society.
HHO was also concerned about Istria County Prefect Ivan Jakovcic's support of the management's step, saying he showed "a weird understanding of the media's social role, inappropriate for a democratic politician".
It is unacceptable to justify such mass and unexplained replacements with the absolute right of the medium's private owner, HHO said, adding that owners had a responsibility to their employees.
Alongside rights, ownership in a civilised society also envisions professional standards and a certain independence of Glas Istre from political and other pressures, said HHO.
It underlined that the owners must explain their actions both to the public and to those they lived off if they were replacing in this way people in a medium whose circulation is constantly growing and which stands out for its critical attitude towards the authorities.