Duško Miljuš case - Public letter to Mr. Tomislav Karamarko, Minister of Interior

Dear Sir, On June 2nd it has been two years since Duško Miljuš, Jutarnji list investigative journalist, has been brutally attacked. His arm was broken and he suffered serious head trauma. That attack by three perpetrators with baseball clubs was at the time characterized by the police as attempted murder. But the police has not succeeded yet in finding the responsible persons who ordered or performed the attack. This is extremely frustrating for Miljuš personally, for Croatian journalists in general and for the independant media, especially those interested in crime and corruption in Croatia. As the main governmental goal is the fight against anti-corruption, journalists dealing with anti-corruption must be protected and investigations of attacks on journalists must be a major priority of the police . Some of our colleagues have been under different kind of police protection for longer periods exactly due to the fact that perpetrators have not been found. The lack of efficiency in police investigations is not a good message for journalists and democracy in Croatia. A thorogh investigation and possible arrest of Miljuš attackers and others who have threatened journalists would create an atmosphere of trust so needed in croatia. Dear Mr. Karamarko, as you have announced the successful results regarding Miljuš investigations several times in the last two years, we question whether there is somebody obstructing that investigation We call upon your professional skill and ethics to do everything possible to make the arrest of Miljuš attackers and send them to court. Zdenko Duka, CJA president Arne König, EFJ President Jean-François Julliard, general secretary of Reporters Without Borders Oliver Vujović, SEEMO secretary general