Support for the Faktograf.hr after receiving death threats

We express our full support to our colleagues on the Faktograf.hr portal, who became the target of a public lynch initiated by entrepreneur Nenad Bakić three days ago, after which the Faktograf editorial office received threats of physical violence and death. We also demand an urgent response from the authorities in order to immediately stop these shameful and dangerous attacks on our colleagues. Entrepreneur Bakić rudely attacked Faktograf on their Facebook profile on December 10 and 11, making a number of untrue claims and calling on his followers to file mass lawsuits against the portal and thus launch exactly what our organizations have been fighting against for years – organized pressure on the media to report professionally and objectively in order to intimidate them and make it difficult or even impossible for them to work.

“I think that everyone whose constitutional rights were violated in this way can sue Faktograf under Article 127 of the Criminal Code – I will.” The Factograph may think that the ‘ordinary little man’ will not have the resources (knowledge, money…) to sue them for such trampling on their rights, they may be right. I wonder if it would be legal to form a fund to finance such lawsuits? It shouldn’t be very complicated – standard lawsuits for the same topic? ” Bakic wrote.

Entrepreneur calls for organized pressure on one media outlet in exactly the way SLAPP lawsuits try to silence critical media. Lawsuits against journalists and the media represent a financial burden and a gross attempt at censorship, which is contrary to the Constitution. Practice also shows that such incitement against journalists and the media often leads to fatal consequences. We would also like to remind you to the survey conducted by the Croatian Journalists’ Association in Croatia in 2021, there were at least 924 lawsuits against journalists and the media, and that Croatia is at the top of the SLAPP lawsuit.