The Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) presented five demands on Tuesday for "measures in the first 100 days of the new government's term of office", including the cancellation of the "Lex AP", changes to media laws, the fight against SLAPP lawsuits and transparent media financing.

The umbrella organisation of journalists says it is addressing its demands to the next government “after decades of systematic destruction and capture of the media, silencing and prosecution of journalists, lack of a legal framework for effective protection of media pluralism and professional standards, opaque spending of budget funds on attempts to corrupt the media, and the public media service becoming a mouthpiece of the ruling structures.”

The HND’s first demand relates to the repeal of the legal provisions that introduce the disclosure of information from investigations as a new criminal offence, warning once again that they represent an attack on the journalistic profession, the public interest and whistleblowers.

“The HND is also calling on the government to decriminalise all offences against honour and reputation, which it has been proposing for years. We believe that civil law provides sufficient opportunities for those who feel they have been wronged to seek appropriate redress.”

The association also calls for the adoption of a new media law and amendments to the Electronic Media Act “to depoliticise the Electronic Media Council so that this independent regulatory body is made up of media experts who are truly independent of politics and have clear powers.”

The HND calls for the establishment of a common media fund to ensure fair and transparent financing of the media from a range of sources, the establishment of an independent commission to distribute the money from this fund according to clear criteria, and the establishment of a media register.

The HND also calls for the early abolition of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) and the adoption of a clear definition of SLAPP lawsuits as a tool to intimidate and silence reporters and media and to restrict freedom of expression and the right to public participation.

The last demand refers to the amendment of the Croatian Radiotelevision Act to ensure that the public broadcaster makes programmes of public interest and no longer functions as a news channel of the ruling party and political rulers”.

HND’s demands were supported by the Trade Union of Croatian Journalists and the non-governmental organisations GONG, Centre for Peace Studies, Human Rights House Zagreb and Green Action.