SISAK, Aug (Hina) - The corespondent with the "Jutarnji list" daily from the town of Sisak (some 50 kilometres south-east of Zagreb), Mate Piskor on Thursday filed a suit against the president of Sisak County Court, Danko Kovac,
because he was kept in the judge's office along with journalists from another two papers - Novi List and Novi Sisacki Tjednik - for more than two hours under threat of intervention of the judicial police when the journalists asked the judge for his statement in reference to a hearing conducted for a case of murder committed in 1991.
SISAK, Aug (Hina) - The corespondent with the "Jutarnji list" daily
from the town of Sisak (some 50 kilometres south-east of Zagreb),
Mate Piskor on Thursday filed a suit against the president of Sisak
County Court, Danko Kovac, because he was kept in the judge's office
along with journalists from another two papers - Novi List and Novi
Sisacki Tjednik - for more than two hours under threat of
intervention of the judicial police when the journalists asked the
judge for his statement in reference to a hearing conducted for a
case of murder committed in 1991. #L#
Piskor told Hina that he had lodged the suit with Sisak deputy
public prosecutor Ljerka Markusic against Judge Kovac for
unlawfully keeping him and threatening him.
Piskor added that he filed the suit because no-one should be
allowed, even if they are the president of a county court, to keep
journalists detained and to threaten them with intervention by the
judicial police and all this because of a subjective and self-
willed opinion of what they (reporters) may do.
"I filed the suit so that I can protect the dignity and honour of
journalism and so that this sort of behaviour by officials in the
judiciary do not remain unpunished," Piskor stated. He believes the
suit is founded and expects a speedy reaction from the municipal
public prosecutor.
A group of journalists gathered in front of the County Court on
Wednesday about 10 a.m. because they heard from a witness called in
for questioning, that a hearing would be held relating to a murder
case committed in 1991.
Later, Piskor as well as other journalists requested a statement
from Judge Kovac relating to the hearing that had been conducted.
After waiting about half an hour in front of Judge Kovac's chambers
the journalists with the exception of the Vecernji list reporter
who had left to attend to another matter, were received by Judge
Kovac. After he stated that he had nothing to report because there
had been no trial set and that the matter related to confidential
pre-trial investigations marked as strictly confidential, Kovac
asked the journalists to remain in his office until he had a warrant
written up to oblige them to confidentiality.
Asked by journalists, if they were allowed to leave the building, he
replied negatively and threatened that he would call the judicial
police to prevent them from leaving the court.
After consulting with the attorneys for the Croatian Journalists'
Association Visnja Drenski-Lasan and Vesna Alaburic, the
journalists refused signed such court warrant (on
confidentiality). Kovac detained them warning them to strict
confidentiality of any possible details relating to the case and
that any violation of this was a criminal offence.
After being held for more than two hours the reporters were allowed
to go free only when they signed receipts of receiving the relevant
warrants.
According to Thursday's issues of Croatian dailies, the
questioning of the witness should refer to alleged war crimes
committed in Sisak in 1991.
(hina) sp ms