CALLS FOR REFORM OF CROATIAN LIBEL LEGISLATION

[Ivo Skoric]

  OSCE MISSION CONCERNED OVER PRISON SENTENCE FOR LIBEL, CALLS
  FOR REFORM OF CROATIAN LIBEL LEGISLATION

http://www.osce.org/news/show_news.php?ut=2&id=4229


ZAGREB, 13 July 2004 - The OSCE Mission to Croatia has expressed 
concern
that a Croatian journalist was yesterday sentenced to prison for 
libel.

The Split Municipal Court sentenced journalist Ljubica Letinic to a 
two-month suspended prison term. The verdict is now open to appeal.

"It is unacceptable that journalists should face prison sentences for
their work," said OSCE Mission Spokesperson, Alessandro Fracassetti.

In another case, the editor-in-chief of the former Novi Brodski List 
has
refused to pay a fine and consequently will be serving a prison term 
in
accordance with Article 200 of the Croatian Criminal Code for libel.

"The possibility of prison sentences being imposed on journalists may 
have
a chilling effect on the freedom of the media," Fracassetti said.

The OSCE Mission, echoing recent statements by the OSCE 
Representative on
Freedom of the Media, is again calling on the government to remove 
libel
and defamation from the criminal code to the civil code, or at least 
start
by removing incarceration as punishment for these offences.

Changes to the Croatian Criminal Code currently being discussed in 
Parliament do not fully decriminalize libel.

The Croatian Journalists' Association fully agrees with the process 
of
decriminalisation of libel.

----------
Alessandro Fracassetti
Spokesperson
OSCE Mission to Croatia
14f7ebd.jpg
Florijana Andraaeca 14
10000, Zagreb
Croatia
GMT +1
14f7f0d.jpg
14f7f2b.jpg
Tel.: +385 1 309 66 20
+385 91 1988 904 (mobile)
14f7f49.jpg
Fax: +385 1 309 62 97
14f7f67.jpg
E-mail: <mailto:pau at oscecro.org>pau at oscecro.org


Ivo Skoric
1773 Lexington Ave
New York NY 10029
212.369.9197
ivo at balkansnet.org
http://balkansnet.org