The advertisements contain portions of Pasalic's speech at his central election rally in Zagreb in which he alleged that Mesic betrayed Croatia and that he was "up to his neck in crime".
HTV refused to air the advertisements saying that they were against the network's rules of election campaign coverage, which forbid broadcasting insulting remarks about rival candidates.
HB secretary Krunoslav Gasparic said that during the election campaign HTV had broadcast Mesic's statements in which he used various insulting names in reference to his rivals.
"Criminal charges of high treason were brought against Mesic back in 2001 over his false testimony in the Blaskic case (before the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague), and it is evident from the sale of the bankrupt Sisak Ironworks to Russia's Mecelj against the bidding rules that he was involved in criminal activity," Gasparic said.
Gasparic said that presidential candidates had the legal right to criticise their opponents. "HTV grossly violated Pasalic's right to present his own views," he said, adding that the election team had sent its arguments to HTV and was expecting a response today.