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SLAPP and Media Freedom: Rule of Law Report conference

The Centre for Democracy and Law Miko Tripalo, in cooperation with the Human Rights House Zagreb and the Croatian Journalists’ Association, held a conference on Monday, September 30th, at the Journalists’ Home in Zagreb titled SLAPP and Media Freedom: Rule of Law Report.

The conference discussed the state of media freedom in Croatia, with a focus on SLAPP lawsuits, and deliberated on the third pillar of the new Rule of Law Report by the European Commission (media pluralism and freedoms) with relevant stakeholders.

The panel consisted of two parts. In the first part, the results of the project Fighting SLAPP in Croatia, conducted by the Miko Tripalo Centre and the Croatian Journalists’ Association with the support of the Justice for Journalists Foundation, were presented.

Following the presentation of the results, at a roundtable during the second part of the conference, relevant experts reflected on the findings and recommendations of the latest European Commission’s Rule of Law Report and discussed opportunities for improving and strengthening media freedoms in Croatia.

The Panel is part of the project Strengthening the Capacity of Civil Society to Protect and Promote the Rule of Law in Croatia, implemented by the Miko Tripalo Centre and the Human Rights House Zagreb.

You can download the program and materials from the conference via the link below

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Strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP) in the Republic of Croatia

The document below is a report on the research conducted by the Centre for Democracy and Law Miko Tripalo (CMT) on the topic of SLAPP lawsuits against the media (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, in Croatian – strateške tužbe protiv javne participacije).

The report was created as part of the Fighting SLAPP in Croatia project, carried out by the Miko Tripalo Centre and the Croatian Journalists’ Association (HND). The project was implemented with the financial support of the British organization Justice for Journalists Foundation (https://jfj.fund/) and in cooperation with the international organization Coalition against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) (https://www.the-case.eu/).

The importance of researching SLAPP lawsuits is based on the fact that such lawsuits are often used as a tool for intimidating and preventing individuals and/or organizations from reporting and informing the public about matters of legitimate public interest. Protecting individuals and/or organizations from SLAPPs is, therefore, a protection of the right to freedom of expression, which is guaranteed by national, constitutional, as well as international legal regulations.

The aim of this research was to collect data and analyze court rulings in civil and criminal proceedings conducted in the Republic of Croatia against publishers, editors, and journalists (collectively referred to as the media) due to publicly published texts and reports. The study identifies SLAPP indicators and analyzes the most important characteristics of potential SLAPP cases.

You can download the full report below:

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The SITUATION OF THE CROATIAN JUDICIARY: REPORT ON THE RULE OF LAW – WHAT’S NEXT?

The Miko Tripalo Centre for Democracy and Law and the House of Human Rights in Zagreb, in cooperation with the Representation of the European Commission, held the State of the Croatian Judiciary: Report on the Rule of Law – What’s Next?, on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, in the House of Europe. Ul. Augusta Cesarca 4, in Zagreb.  

The round table consisted of two parts. The first part presents the results of a survey of public opinion on the judicial system conducted by Ipsos on a representative sample, commissioned by the Miko Tripalo Centre. After the presentation of the results, at the round table in the second part, distinguished experts referred to the findings and recommendations of the latest Report on the rule of law of the European Commission and the opportunities for improving and strengthening the rule of law in the Republic of Croatia.

The round table is part of the project Strengthening the capacity of civil society to protect and improve the rule of law in Croatia, which is being implemented by the Miko Tripalo Centre and the House of Human Rights in Zagreb, with the support of the European Commission – the Impact4Values ​​program. With this project, we want to raise awareness of the importance of the rule of law mechanism and strengthen the advocacy role of civil society organizations to improve the rule of law. You can download the meeting program and recommendations here:

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Policy document on good European practices for advocating the rule of law

The Miko Tripalo Center organized an online panel discussion “Civil society organizations and the report on the rule of law – good practices in cooperation and advocacy” which was part of the activities within the project “Strengthening the capacity of civil society to protect and improve the rule of law in Croatia”. The project is implemented by the House of Human Rights Zagreb and the Miko Tripalo Center with the aim of strengthening the advocacy and watchdog role of civil society organizations in Croatia for the improvement and promotion of the rule of law as one of the fundamental values ​​of the EU.

The panel took place on Monday, May 27, 2024 at 10 a.m. on the Zoom platform and was in English.

Below you can download the policy document on good European practices of advocating the rule of law based on exchanges of experience with CSOs from other EU countries:

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Financed with the funds of the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union or the EACEA can be held responsible for them.

The Impact4Values ​​program is co-financed by the Office for NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia.

Financed with the funds of the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for it. The positions expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the Miko Tripalo Center for Democracy and Law and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Office for Associations of the Government of the Republic of Croatia. The project of the association Center for Democracy and Law Miko Tripalo calls “Strengthening the capacity of civil society to protect and improve the rule of law in Croatia” is financed by the European Union within the Impact4Values ​​Program. The project is co-financed by the Office for NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia.

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Contribution of the informal coalition of civil society organizations to the Rule of Law Report and accompanying recommendations

The Miko Tripalo Centre and the House of Human Rights implement the project Strengthening the capacity of civil society for the protection and improvement of the rule of law in Croatia, with which we strive to strengthen the advocacy role of civil society organizations in Croatia for the improvement and promotion of the rule of law as one of the fundamental values ​​of the EU. The ultimate goal of the project is to influence policies that cover challenges related to the rule of law in the context of human rights and the functioning of the democratic system as the three inseparable pillars on which the European democratic society rests.

As part of the project, as one of the outputs, we have prepared recommendations for this year’s Report on the Rule of Law, which you can read and download at the following link:

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Financed with the funds of the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.

The Impact4Values ​​program is co-financed by the Office for NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia.

Financed with the funds of the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for it. The positions expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the Miko Tripalo Centre for Democracy and Law and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Office for Associations of the Government of the Republic of Croatia. The project of the association Center for Democracy and Law Miko Tripalo calls “Strengthening the capacity of civil society to protect and improve the rule of law in Croatia” is financed by the European Union under the Impact4Values ​​Program. The project is co-financed by the Office for NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia.

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Round table confidential investigation – violation of media freedom and criminal prosecution of victims, accused and defenders?

The Miko Tripalo Centre for Democracy and Law and the Croatian Journalists’ Association organized the round table Secrecy of the investigation – violation of media freedom and criminal prosecution of victims, defendants and defenders which was held on Monday, October 9, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. in Novinarski dom, Perkovčeva 2 in Zagreb.

The reason for the organization of this round table is the proposal to introduce a new criminal offense called “Unauthorized disclosure of the content of an investigative or evidentiary action”, which is currently in public consultation. The introduction to the topic was presented by Zlata Đurđević, a professor at the Faculty of Law in Zagreb and a member of the Miko Tripalo Centre, who was also the moderator of the Round Table, and Damir Kos, from the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia, also spoke about the topic; Elizabeta Ivičević Karas, from the University of Zagreb Faculty of Law, Dušan Miljuš, journalist and president of the HND branch in Jutarnji list, Igor Martinović, from the University of Rijeka Faculty of Law, lawyer Ljubo Pavasović Visković and Maja Sever, president of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ).

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Panel discussion RIGHT TO A TRIAL WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME IN RH

On Wednesday, June 14, 2023, the Centre for Democracy and Law Miko Tripalo held a panel discussion on the topic of the Right to a trial within a reasonable time in the Republic of Croatia in the hall of the Association of University Teachers and other Scientists in Zagreb.

After the welcoming words of Vedran Đulabić, the deputy president of the Centre’s Board of Directors, and the opening words of Neven Mates, a member of the Centre, the Centre’s associates, Matija Ninić and Ivana Zeljko, presented an analysis of the situation and gave an overview of the violation of the right to a trial within a reasonable time.

Alan Uzelac, member of the Miko Tripalo Centre and professor at the Faculty of Law in Zagreb, spoke at the round table; Juraj Brozović, from the Faculty of Law in Zagreb, lawyers Lidija Horvat and Renata Dozet Daskal and Nino Radić, president of the Commercial Court in Zagreb, which was followed by a discussion with the participants.

The focus of the gathering was on issues related to the duration of court proceedings, violations of the right to a trial within a reasonable time, and deficiencies in the means for speeding up the proceedings and achieving fair compensation.

You can download an analysis of the situation and a review of the violation of the right to a trial within a reasonable time, prepared by the Centre’s associates, Matija Ninić and Ivana Zeljko, at the following link:

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