From Pukanić to Margetić: A Sniper for Free Journalism

By Rasim Belko

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The more there are those who "protect" media workers, the more there are attacks. Year after year, the number of these attacks multiplies, and even democratic societies are unable to protect media workers as one of the key factors of that democracy. 

Journalists are particularly exposed, and there is almost no serious journalist or newsroom that has not been the target of some attack. They are attacked by politicians, intelligence services, the criminal milieu, and citizens. 

Only the police offer partial protection.

Domagoj Margetić, a freelance investigative journalist and activist, is constantly under various types of attacks. The latest occurred on April 13, when unknown perpetrators dumped feces in front of Margetić's apartment door. 

Reading the reports of attacks on Margetić, it is easy to conclude that not a month goes by without him being the target of various attacks and attackers. Death threats and other forms of intimidation. An attack with a concrete block in which he sustained serious injuries. Being taken for questioning. Arrests and harassment in the media controlled by powerful figures in Croatia are just part of the arsenal directed at Margetić. 

And everything is hushed up, the attackers walk free, the investigations yield no results. Everything indicates that the state of Croatia is actually waiting for him to be killed. 

And it would not be the first time that an investigative journalist pays with their life for their work. 

Ivo Pukanić was also exposed to attacks. In April 2008, he survived a gunshot to the head, but he could not survive a bombing. He died on October 23, almost in the very center of Zagreb. According to the investigation, even if he had survived, a sniper was ready to finish him off. 

The question of whether a sniper or a bomb awaits Margetić, given the numerous attacks that remain unclarified, is entirely justified. Journalists, especially free ones, belong to the group that does not give up even when death hangs over their heads. And the assassins will not give up either. 

Either the state will protect Margetić, or the attackers will one day finish the job. 

And then the announcements by his colleagues and politicians will be irrelevant and unnecessary. When they kill someone who could have been protected, everything afterwards is irrelevant. 

We sent several inquiries to colleagues in Croatia and the Croatian Journalists' Association, and received only one response. Because of this, we decided to "list" the reporting on the latest attack on Margetić. Fewer and fewer media outlets are publishing this, especially among the most read ones. 

The influence of politics or something else, that is a question for the profession and colleagues in Croatia. 

The only one who responded to us was Mate Prlić, editor-in-chief of Dalmatinski portal-

When asked about the increasingly frequent attacks on journalists in Croatia and why journalists are targets for both citizens and politicians, Prlić answers: "Journalists have always been targets of those who hold certain positions because journalists question their work. If that work is not up to par and journalists publish it, one of the defense mechanisms is to attack journalists. The answer to why journalists are targets for citizens is much harder to give. Technically - today it is much easier to attack a media professional than before because it can be done with the help of modern means of communication, primarily through social networks. Journalists are more exposed to the possibility of physical violence because they do a lot of things live, and potential attackers know where journalists are, and there is no barrier between them, such as a newsroom entrance with a security guard. However, the motive for attacking journalists is a more complex issue, and in my opinion, it should be sought in each individual in a combination of upbringing, education, their individual abilities, beliefs, overall social well-being and climate, and the current psychological state of the person ready to attack." 

Prlić could not comment on the attacks on Margetić because, as he says, he is not familiar with the entire situation. 

However, when asked if the frequent attacks mean that Croatia's security system does not protect journalists due to the political will of those who manage that system, Prlić replies: I am happy that journalists in Croatia do not need political protection, legal protection is sufficient. The media would benefit more from strengthening the economy than from the security system, such a concept that is imaginary to me. 

The day before the attack on Margetić in Split, journalists from Dalmatinski portal and N1 were attacked at a "forbidden mass." 

Regarding the results of the investigation into the attack on the Dalmatinski portal journalist, Prlić says: "The police conducted a criminal investigation into three men aged 53, 23, 21, and priest don Josip Delaš due to that incident. Criminal charges were filed against the three men, and the priest received a misdemeanor charge." 

Without a systemic response to attacks on media workers, there will be fewer and fewer free investigative journalists willing to go all the way. Because bringing an investigative task to completion means offending the powerful. And Pukanić's murder and the attacks on Margetić are just two warnings in a sea of similar incidents. 

Therefore, all those who present themselves as protectors of journalists, who organize seminars and similar events, should think about a different strategy and a different way of acting. 

The situation is almost the same in all Western Balkan countries. The tools in the systems of all countries in our region are clearly not enough to protect journalists. And how to upgrade them when those who are bothered by journalists are supposed to do it. In the Parliament of the Federation of BiH, an initiative to treat attacks on journalists as attacks on an official person has been "stewing" for months. And every attempt to escalate it into something more is stopped by the majority in that parliament. 

And while we are outraged, surprised, and condemn after every attack, the safety and the environment in which journalists work are getting worse and worse. 

Therefore, instead of reacting, we should take action. 

Otherwise, bombs and snipers will one day finish off free journalism. 

And with it, democracy.