Reporters Gordan Malic of the Globus weekly, Zeljko Peratovic of the Vjesnik daily, Mario Kavain of the Jutarnji List daily and Ivica Djikic of the Feral Tribune weekly said their request referred to the article of February 4 headlined "Turek's Presentation", which contained POA documents which they said constituted a grave libel on their work.
The reporters said that a POA document, published in the article under the title "Information on intelligence-media manipulation aimed at discrediting Croatia", covered their articles on investigations by the Hague war crimes tribunal, the functioning of security services etc., describing their work as "a premeditated, organised and coordinated campaign to disseminate misinformation jeopardising national security".
The reporters warned that the document bore proof that some of them, including journalist and "Jutarnji List" editor Davor Butkovic, were placed under temporary surveillance by the POA in 2003 and 2004 and that Peratovic and Boris Pavelic of the Novi List daily were also believed to have been under surveillance.
"We have therefore concluded that during the term of its former chief Franjo Turek, the POA acted unlawfully against a number of Croatian journalists to construe the monstrous 'Information on intelligence-media manipulation aimed at discrediting Croatia' and depict our articles as dangerous for national security," reads the joint request of the five journalists.
"Notwithstanding the dark past of our secret services, this kind of campaign against journalists is unprecedented," reads the request.
The journalists urged the HND, the parliamentary committees and the Council for the Civilian Supervision of Intelligence Services to respond to the latest article considering that senior government officials have denied the existence of such a presentation or that the POA acted unlawfully in this case.
They also urged the HND to inform domestic and foreign public of their case and request a response from state institutions, as well as to press charges against those responsible for the case.
According to the Globus weekly, the POA stated that the said journalists and several foreign reporters were suspected of swaying the public opinion in Croatia in collusion with individuals from foreign institutions by disseminating misinformation about the whereabouts of General Ante Gotovina, who is wanted by the Hague war crimes tribunal.
The POA document read that by doing so the reporters were discrediting Croatian institutions, exerting pressure on Croatia and slowing down its integration into the European Union.