ZAGREB, July 31, 2018 – The Croatian Journalists’ Association (HND) on Monday strongly dismissed a statement from the Police Union (SPS) in which it had condemned reporting on the police treatment of migrants, saying that the SPS had shown a complete lack of understanding of the journalistic profession.
The HND accused the SPS of directly interfering in the right of the media to do their job freely and exerting pressure on freedom of the media as one of the pillars of a democratic society.
In its statement, the SPS made it clear that it expected the media to report on this issue affirmatively, accusing them of dishonourably reporting on cases of police brutality against refugees, the HND said.
The image of “nice” Croatian police officers disappeared the moment that police officers started to beat, steal from and shoot at refugees, according to victims’ testimonies. The police provide very scant information on such cases, while journalists regularly report their side of the story, the HND said in the statement signed by its president Hrvoje Zovko.
The HND called on the SPS to specify cases in which reporters had violated their professional standards, to give the number of cases in which police officers had overstepped their powers in the treatment of refugees and say what disciplinary measures had been taken. Reporters were asked to follow their professional code of ethics in reporting on migrants.
The SPS issued a statement on Sunday dismissing media reports on the inhumane treatment of migrants by the police and commending the police for their performance in guarding the state border.
