ZAGREB, Aug 8 (Hina) - The Corps of Court Reporters within the Croatian Journalists' Association on Thursday most sharply protested in response to an incident on Wednesday when three reporters were detained for more than two hours in
the chambers of the president of Sisak County Court, Judge Danko Kovac.
ZAGREB, Aug 8 (Hina) - The Corps of Court Reporters within the
Croatian Journalists' Association on Thursday most sharply
protested in response to an incident on Wednesday when three
reporters were detained for more than two hours in the chambers of
the president of Sisak County Court, Judge Danko Kovac. #L#
The corps will report the incident involving Judge Kovac to the
international association of journalists and the international
organisation of judges and institutions engaged in protection of
freedom of the media.
At the same time the corps supports its colleague Mato Piskor - the
chief of correspondence with the "Jutarnji list" who was unlawfully
detained and threatened with criminal proceedings by Judge Kovac.
The corps of court reporters also demands that the president of the
Supreme Court and the State Judicial Council to investigate Judge
Kovac' liabilities for detaining the reporters.
Detaining journalists on official duty, is smothering the freedom
of the media. Instead of questioning the responsibility of
information leaks about confidential matters, the judiciary has
swooped down on reporters, a statement issued by the Corps of Court
Reporters states.
The corps reminds that just recently there have been several larger
limitations placed on reporters investigating court proceedings.
Proclaiming matters as strictly confidential is used as the formal
pretext for preventing reporters from obtaining access to
information about court proceedings, the statement says.
The statement adds that this practise, with some due exceptions, is
present in a large number of courts in Croatia from the Supreme
Court on to county and municipal courts and even public
prosecutors' offices.
The Corps of Court Reporters has always been prepared for dialogue
with representatives of the judiciary however, except for some rare
cases, moves by the judiciary have been lacking in opening
themselves to the public and the media.
Instead, we are witnesses to attempts to smother freedom of the
press from prohibiting reporting, to not rendering information to
be available, to calling reporters to court and ruling
inappropriate financial fines, the statement signed by the corps
president, Dusan Miljus, read.
(hina) sp ms