The UHS said in a statement on Friday it was wrong to attach the same amount of importance to the verdict as if it were final and reflected the position of the entire judiciary towards a form of criminal activity.
The association recalls that judges pass verdicts on the basis of the Constitution and laws adopted by the legislative authorities mostly at the proposal of the executive authorities. It also states that most European countries treat defamation and insult as criminal acts which may entail a prison sentence.
The trial verdict of the Zagreb Municipal Court sentencing Matvejevic for defamation against writer Mile Pesorda in an article entitled "Our Taleban", published in Jutarnji List daily four years ago, has been condemned by the Croatian Journalists' Association and the Reporters Without Borders association. Prime Minister Ivo Sanader has issued a statement saying that as prime minister he cannot interfere in court decisions, but that as a member of the Croatian Writers Society and the Croatian PEN club he finds it unacceptable for a court to pass a verdict such as the one in Matvejevic's case.