The Croatian Journalists’ Association (HND) has renewed its call for the full decriminalisation of offences against honour and reputation, urging the Government to remove insult and defamation from the Criminal Code as part of the upcoming legislative amendments. While welcoming Croatia’s new Anti-SLAPP law, HND warns that its safeguards do not extend to criminal proceedings, leaving journalists exposed to both civil and criminal liability for their reporting. According to an analysis by the Miko Tripalo Centre for Democracy and Law, Croatian courts handled an average of 60 lawsuits containing at least one SLAPP element annually between 2016 and 2023, with proceedings lasting an average of four years and often involving high compensation claims. HND also highlighted that SLAPP lawsuits increasingly target not only journalists but also CSOs, activists and whistleblowers, and pledged to closely monitor the implementation and effectiveness of the new Anti-SLAPP legislation in practice. Read more here.
Source: Novosti