HHO CONCERNED ABOUT MEDIA FREEDOMS BEING CURTAILED IN CROATIA

ZAGREB, Feb 8 (Hina) - The Croatian Helsinki Committee For Human Rights (HHO) today issued a statement expressing "great concern" about the freedom of the media in Croatia being curtailed. The HHO said the new editorial policy of the daily newspaper 'Vjesnik' confirmed fears the HHO had expressed when the former editor in chief had been dismissed. The HHO added Vjesnik was becoming a tool for political discrimination "against those who think differently and whose views do not match with those 'prescribed' by the regime." The HHO said it was closely following the situation surrounding the satiric weekly 'Feral Tribune' after the government imposed a high tax on "this prominent independent weekly in violation of the existing laws." It called on the government and the prime minister to rescind the tax against Feral Tribune. It also appealed to Croatian political parties and non-governmental organizations to support a campaign aimed at pressuring authorities to revoke the tax. (hina) jn vm 081900 MET feb 95