OSIJEK, Sept 8 (Hina) - The Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) president, Dragutin Lucic, on Sunday agreed with the leader of the Osijek branch of the Croatian disabled war veterans' society (HVIDR) that HVIDR members lift the
blockade around a local printing house in Osijek and allow the distribution of a local paper which runs a list with names of the disabled veterans in that county and the data on their disability.
OSIJEK, Sept 8 (Hina) - The Croatian Journalists' Association (HND)
president, Dragutin Lucic, on Sunday agreed with the leader of the
Osijek branch of the Croatian disabled war veterans' society
(HVIDR) that HVIDR members lift the blockade around a local
printing house in Osijek and allow the distribution of a local paper
which runs a list with names of the disabled veterans in that county
and the data on their disability. #L#
Around 100 members of the Osijek-Baranja County branch of HVIDR on
Friday night prevented the distribution of Saturday's issue of the
paper "Osjecki Dom", dissatisfied with the publishing of the list
with the names of over 3,300 disabled war veterans from the county
and data on their disability. The disabled war veterans have been
gathering in front of the paper's printing house since then to
prevent what they described as manipulation with their names and
disability data.
On Sunday, Lucic and the local HVIDR leader, Miljenko Kolobaric,
discussed the problem.
After the talks in Osijek, Lucic informed reporters of its
results.
The entire case is complex, but the biggest problem is not to allow
the distribution of the paper, regardless of the reasons which
HVIDR member cite for their decision, Lucic said adding that it is
true that this topic is particularly sensitive due to war drama.
Lucic told Kolobaric that the HND Council of Honour would discuss
the entire problem and give its opinion, but this would proceed only
after the agreement on the de-blockade of the printer was met.
The Croatian Journalists' Association condemned the forcible
prevention of the distribution of the newspaper, but Lucic also
promised to Kolobaric that he would be willing to attend a meeting
of war veterans and talk with them about the problems of the media
coverage of the war veterans' issues and the Homeland Defence War.
All other contentious issues pertaining to the publisher and the
owner of "Osjecki Dom" and veterans is to be tackled by the Croatian
judiciary, Lucic added.
The paper's editor-in-chief, Dario Topic, and owners Tihomir
Jelavic and Andjelko Balikic told the Osijek news conference that
they would inform reporters tomorrow whether the main entrance to
the printing house was de-blocked.
On Sunday, a local branch of the non-parliamentary party, Croatian
True Revival (HIP), expressed its support to the protesters who
prevented the distribution of the said paper, as the HIP believes
that the publishing of the names of the disabled veterans and data
on their disability is contrary to a European convention which
cites that it is punishable to report in public about somebody's
physical and mental state.
On the other hand, on Saturday the Croatian Helsinki Committee, the
OSCE Mission, Osijek County authorities, and the Croatian
Journalists' Association supported the paper.
The Croatian minister in charge of war veterans, Ivica Pancic,
condemned the blockade of the printing house in Osijek. He
described such conduct of the protesters as scandalous which will
damage the reputation of Croatian veterans and in particular of
disabled war veterans.
(hina) ms