ZAGREB, April 28 (Hina) - The media and religious freedoms, the functioning of the judiciary, the return of refugees and property restitution are the most important issues underlined by the Vienna-based International Helsinki
Federation (IHF) in the part of its 2003 report on the human rights situation in Europe, Central Asia and North America, which refers to Croatia.
ZAGREB, April 28 (Hina) - The media and religious freedoms, the
functioning of the judiciary, the return of refugees and property
restitution are the most important issues underlined by the
Vienna-based International Helsinki Federation (IHF) in the part of
its 2003 report on the human rights situation in Europe, Central Asia
and North America, which refers to Croatia.#L#
The most important problems underlined in the 10-page section on
Croatia are linked with freedom of expression and media, the
(non)functioning of the legal system, religious freedoms, increased
discrimination, intolerance and violence towards foreigners, problems
in the return of refugees and displaced people, and property
restitution and reconstruction.
The report also notes increasingly frequent violations of workers'
rights and non-payment or delays in the payment of wages. Mentioned in
this context are former employees of Sisak Ironworks and the "Nama"
chain of stores who asked the IHF for assistance.
Although the new media legislation has made room for more freedoms and
pluralism, the Penal Code has retained the provision criminalising
defamation, the IHF says, adding that the print media are mostly in
private ownership except for Slobodna Dalmacija and Vjesnik dailies
which are owned by the state and are to be privatised.
The report also notes very present pressure of media owners on
journalists to write sensationalist reports and an increased number of
cases where journalists are trying to protect their professional and
material rights.
The IHF reports that the judiciary in Croatia is very problematic,
inefficient and slow, and supports this assessment with the 1.4
million backlog cases and lack of qualified staff and of an
appropriate professional training system. Judicial reform should have
been conducted simultaneously with the reform of the police and other
state services in charge of implementing laws, the report says.
Although there is a considerable level of development of religious
freedoms, "the Roman Catholic Church as the most significant religious
community in the country retained a privileged status".
"The Roman Catholic Church tried to impose itself as a social arbiter,
and also indirectly promoted certain political projects and parties,
mostly of nationalist and conservative orientation," says the report.
The report also notes a significant degree of intolerance towards
foreigners and people of other religion and says that racial
intolerance was mainly promoted by groups of skinheads.
The IHF also accuses the media of spreading racial intolerance and
promoting violence to boost the circulation of some papers.
Property restitution and the return of refugees and displaced people
are very slow, says the report, in which it is also noted that Croatia
is not taking adequate care of environmental protection.
(Hina) rml