The statement followed Wednesday's meeting between HND President Dragutin Lucic and journalists Zeljko Peratovic of Vjesnik, Ivanka Toma and Mario Kavain of Jutarnji List, Gordan Malic of Globus and Boris Pavelic of Novi List.
Together with Feral Tribune journalist Ivica Djikic, they demanded that the state institutions investigate allegations from an article in the Globus weekly that the Counterintelligence Agency (POA) had monitored their conversations in 2003 and 2004 on the suspicion that they were involved in a media and intelligence campaign against Croatia.
Following the surveillance operation, the POA compiled an audiovisual report on "intelligence and media manipulations aimed at discrediting Croatia".
The statement said that the findings of the investigation concerning the journalists and the media should be made public, and that the authorities should apologise to the reporters for being the subject of an intelligence investigation.
The HND and the five journalists demand that the Security Services Act should be harmonised with the Constitution and that the rules of procedure of the security services should be brought into line with the law. They said they supported all demands for the reform of the security system in conformity with the highest democratic, legal and security standards of the European Union.
The HND believes that the "already traditional" interference of the intelligence community in the affairs of journalists and the media is threatening civil and media liberties.
The HND warned the five journalists against publishing articles on the matter before the completion of the investigation, saying that it would be in violation of the HND's Code of Honour.