The Croatian Writers’ Society (HDP) condemned on Friday the recent rise in civil lawsuits against journalists, a development which they said represents an "unprecedented pressure against publicly expressing truth."

The non-governmental association said it was very concerned and outraged by the rising number of lawsuits filed against journalists and writers recently, saying that this made them exposed to “never-ending court proceedings” for merely doing their job.

Croatian Journalists’ Association (HND) had recently warned that there are at least 1,000 ongoing cases against journalists with reporters and columnists, and added that the practice seems to have exploded over the past several years.

The civil cases against reporters and the high compensation claims awarded by courts amount to unprecedented pressure against “publicly expressing truth” and the right of the general public to hear that truth, the association said, and called for the urgent amending of libel legislation, which it says, allows for this practice.

The association said it would continue to support its members Jurica Pavicic, Ante Tomic, and Viktor Ivancic – all three prominent columnists, satirists, and authors – who are “exposed to perpetual court proceedings.”

The HDP insisted that all three are constantly getting sued not because what they write is untrue, but because “they have been trying for years to make this country better… employing their recognisable writing style to deliver persuasive criticism or satire.”

They added that “Croatia’s entire society suffers from what is the abuse of the judicial system, which uses it as a censorship tool.”

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