CRO JOURNALISTS' ASSOCIATION WARNS OF POSSIBLE STRENGTHENING OF CE

CE $ NSORSHIP ZAGREB, March 26 (Hina) - The Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) on Tuesday sent a letter to the Croatian Parliament Chairman, saying that in case the Parliament adopted the proposed changes to the penal law relating to libel and publishing of state secrets, this would only intensify censorship, self-censorship and arbitrariness of authority. The letter, signed by the HND President Jagoda Vukusic, said that the Journalists' Association did not oppose the need for legally solving the problem of libel and publishing of state secrets, but it also pointed to some negative aspects of the proposal: "By allowing a certain number of Croatian citizens to engage the state attorney to care for their reputation and honour and by allowing the legal prosecution for the sake of protection of their reputation and honour to be conducted at the expense of the state, while all other citizens are doing it on their own behalf, and at their own expense, the proposal undoubtedly calls into question the right to equality of all citizens before the law, which is guaranteed by the Constitution. By making journalists responsible for the punishable act of publishing state secrets, the proposal directs itself against the freedom of mass media, which is guaranteed by the Constitution. By threats of imprisonment for publishing a state secret, in a time when almost any piece of information can be described as a state secret, the proposal directly leads to the self-censorship of the journalist. This hampers a free flow of ideas and information and the public is deprived of their right to be informed. The stance of the HND Executive Committee is that such changes of the penal law does not help the freedom of mass media nor does it strengthen the responsibility for public statements. On the contrary, it strengthens the censorship, self-censorship and arbitrariness of authority. This completely opposes the proclaimed wish for the democratization of life in Croatia and the obligations Croatia has taken over as a future member of the Council of Europe. (hina) rm jn 261700 MET mar 96