From all the above, it is obvious that I have been blatantly discriminated by my own trade association and the public media alike, which in turn enhances my fears and insecurities of my family and fosters our intention to move out of Croatia in July this year.
Open Letter to Croatian Journalists’ Association
Commission for Memberships
Perkovčeva 2
Zagreb
Subject : Voluntary termination of membership
Based on the Statutes of CJA, art. 16, para. 1, line a), I hereby signed Željko Peratović, CJA ID no. 2731-15, require to be immediately removed from the membership of the Association.
Reasons:
As a survivor of the last year’s attempt of murder, as the CJA gave support to my criminal denunciation at County State Attorney of Karlovac for that criminal act only after my persistent demands and my warning that I would denounce the chairman of the Association to the Council of Honor for discrimination based on my health condition, also related to the threats I was exposed to besides the physical assault, Saša Leković, Association’s chairman, ignored my case with knowledge of other bodies of the Association, whence he breached Art. 7, Lines a) and b), as well as Art. 8.,Line b) of the aforementioned Statutes.
Multiple times I indicated to the Association’s chairman the obligation of the Association, based on the quoted segments of the Statutes, to provide support to its member for the materialization of his entitlements of a victim of a criminal act, but the Chairman, as well as Vesna Alaburić, the leading attorney at the Centre for the Protection of Freedom of Speech, the founder of CJA, ignored my warnings and my pledges.
Attorney Vesna Alaburić initially offered her defense in the process for attempt of murder at the County State Attorney in Karlovac, with the knowledge of the Chairman, but after I was granted a financial support via the Reporters Sans Frontieres , Paris, for the legal presentation by Media Legal Defence Initiative, London, my pledge was ignored, and again with the awareness of the Chairman.
[mom_video type=”vimeo” id=”132073373″]
The EFJ welcomes the Croatian Center for the Protection of Freedom of Expression
Let me remind herein what is written on HND’s web page related to the Centre:
1. Legal Protection
1.1. Presentation, defence, legal counseling
iii Legal protection and representation of journalists discriminated for their work, exposed to threats, blackmails, physical attacks, censorship and/or illegal denial or limiting of the freedom of expression:
Despite my pledges with the CJA, I have not had anything of the above.
When in January this year, the County State Attorney in Karlovac finally ruled out the case of murder attempt and passed it on to the Municipal State Attorney, which in turn enacted an investigation for infliction of heavy physical injuries on one hand, and obtained another file – that against two persons for threats directed to me, confirming the accusations and indicting one of the two for threats against a journalist on his professional task, CJA did not react to the news in public in any way.
The only public reaction was from the RSF, Paris, to which I am correspondent, but neither the CJA, nor any Croatian media in public property have published this reaction.
From all the above, it is obvious that I have been blatantly discriminated by my own trade association and the public media alike, which in turn enhances my fears and insecurities of my family and fosters our intention to move out of Croatia in July this year.
It is therefore senseless and self-derogatory for me to remain on your membership, and despite having paid the membership fee for the current year.
Cordially,
Željko Peratović
Zagreb, 16. February 2016
p.s. Attached find, please, a scan of my membership card which I am going to send by separate mail to HND together with the receipt of paid membership for 2016.
[box]from
The Balkans Today: 15th – 21st February 2016
Investigative journalist Željko Peratović said he will leave the Croatian Journalists’ Association, HND, because it did not ensure legal assistance for him after he was beaten by three assailents in his home in May 2015. In response, HND’s president Saša Leković said Peratović is not telling the truth and that he received all the help they could offer.
by Sven Milekić February 16 at 5:13 PM[/box]
