Following the blockade by HVIDR members in September 2002 of the printing office where the newspaper Osjecki Dom is printed, Pilsel made public a list of disabled war veterans from the area. The printing office was blocked for several days and a case of newspaper burning was recorded.
Pilsel wrote in his column that the blockade had been organised by "a group of fascist vandals from the HVIDR" and that "the HVIDR practises fascism".
The court said in its judgement that despite the existence of certain offensive words, the prosecutors failed to prove the existence of intent as a substantial element of the crime of defamation in the media, adding that the aim of the accused was not to harm anybody's honour or reputation.
Speaking to reporters, the head of the Osijek branch of the HVIDR, Miljenko Kolobaric, announced an appeal to the verdict, saying that the trial did not take into consideration all the facts that preceded the lawsuit.
"I think that justice will be served to the benefit of the Croatian defenders and that no one will call us bad names, because we defended all citizens of our country," Kolobaric said.
Pilsel told reporters he was satisfied with the verdict, saying that his article was not intended to offend HVIDR members but "point out that no one in Croatia has the right to take justice into their own hands."
"Today is an important day for journalists, because the right to information was defended here in Osijek," Pilsel said.