ZAGREB, Nov 14 (Hina) - The Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) in principle supports the view of Feral Tribune weekly's journalists that those who ordered tailing Croatian journalists must answer politically and morally. In cases
where illegal police surveillance has been proved, they must be prosecuted. The HND on Wednesday reported that all individuals on whom files were kept, as well as those who were mentioned in them, should be the ones to make a decision whether the files should be destroyed, in line with the practice of some developed democracies. "We particularly support the view that the purpose of files is not only seeking justice, but sending a message to the public that something like this will go unpunished in the future," the HND said in a statement. The fact alone that 126 journalists were under surveillance and tailed in the past decade says enough about the low degree of democratic
ZAGREB, Nov 14 (Hina) - The Croatian Journalists' Association (HND)
in principle supports the view of Feral Tribune weekly's
journalists that those who ordered tailing Croatian journalists
must answer politically and morally. In cases where illegal police
surveillance has been proved, they must be prosecuted.
The HND on Wednesday reported that all individuals on whom files
were kept, as well as those who were mentioned in them, should be the
ones to make a decision whether the files should be destroyed, in
line with the practice of some developed democracies.
"We particularly support the view that the purpose of files is not
only seeking justice, but sending a message to the public that
something like this will go unpunished in the future," the HND said
in a statement.
The fact alone that 126 journalists were under surveillance and
tailed in the past decade says enough about the low degree of
democratic spirit in our environment. The total number of files on
other citizens, which were equally unwarranted, says there is still
much to do before the basic civilisation norms are adopted in
sovereign Croatia, the HND's statement, signed by its president
Dragutin Lucic, read.
The Feral Tribune editors and journalists said Saturday they
strongly refuse to give their consent for the destruction of files
which the Constitutional Order Protection Service (SZUP) compiled
on them, believing that would be "an attempt to cover up one of the
darkest episodes of former President Franjo Tudjman's
dictatorship."
(hina) np