The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners and the SafeJournalists Network (SJN) strongly condemn the brutal attack on Dario Topić, editor-in-chief of the local media portal Komarilos.com. The consortium calls for the perpetrator to be held accountable without delay, in line with the Croatian Penal Code, which prescribes higher penalties for attacks on journalists.
On 4 December 2024, journalist Dario Topić wasphysically attacked in Osijek while investigating the City of Osijek’s refusal to renew a ‘Elektromodul’ parking concession licence with after 26 years. Invited by the co-owner and director of Elektromodul, Damir Taslidžić, on the pretext of providing him with information about alleged fraud in concession awards, Topić found himself the target of a trap. As reported by the Croatian Journalists’ Association (HND), as soon as Topić entered the premises, Taslidžić beat him to the head and body, after pushing him out of the company premises. Injured, Topić sought medical attention at the Osijek Clinical Hospital Center after reporting the attack to the police and the prosecutor’s office.
Taslidžić wasdetained on 7 December by the 1st Police Station Osijek with the Čepin branch office for the criminal offense of ‘coercion against a person performing tasks of public interest or in public service’.
The Consortium welcomes the opening of a criminal investigation under theProtocol on Police Conduct Upon Learning of a Criminal Offence Committed against Journalists and Other Media Workers in the Performance of Their Work.
While challenges in fully implementing governmental safety protocols signed by the Ministry of the Interior with the Croatian Journalists’ Association (HND), and the Trade Union of Croatian Journalists (TUCJ) werehighlighted during the MFRR’s fact-finding mission to Croatia, this swift police action is a promising step. It demonstrates the goodwill of the competent authorities to strengthen the protection of journalists, with attackers being held commensurately accountable with the seriousness of their crimes.
On 10 December, the SafeJournalists Network was informed that the Osijek State Attorney’s Office released Taslidžić from pre-trial detention. He was ordered to stay 100 meters away from the journalist and not to have any direct or indirect contact with him or otherwise, he would be remanded.
“We welcome the efforts of the police and the imposition of distancing measures on the attacker, who was released from pre-trial detention by the decision of the State Attorney’s Office in Osijek. We also expect that charges will be filed against the attacker,” said HND president Hrvoje Zovko to the MFRR consortium.
The MFRR urges the authorities to complete a thorough and effective investigation of the attack and bring the perpetrator to justice without delay in accordance with the Croatian Penal Code. The MFRR stands by journalists investigating matters of public interest and will continue to support them in the face of attacks and threats. No journalist should ever be silenced or harmed for investigating matters of public interest.
Signed by
The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR)
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
OBC Transeuropa (OBCT)
International Press Institute (IPI)
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
Free Press Unlimited (FPU)
ARTICLE 19 Europe (A19)
SafeJournalists Network
Association of Journalists of Kosovo
Association of Journalists of Macedonia
Association BH Journalists
Croatian Journalists’ Association
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia
Trade Union of Media of Montenegro