Croat PM accuses journalist of slander

Croat PM Jadranka Kosor has accused Croatia’s state TV HRT journalist Aleksandar Stankovic of slander. This came after Stankovic's report on Sunday focusing on the eviction of the a Serb family from the apartment in Zagreb where Kosor now lives. Croat PM accuses journalist of slander Stankovic had aired the story about Momir Drobac, who was, along with his sick brother, evicted from his 90-square-meter apartment in Zagreb in 1995, at the request of the Croatian Defense Ministry. They were forced out of their home so that a disabled Croat war veteran could move in. That person stayed in the apartment for only a few months, after which Kosor, then high official of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), moved in. In a moving story, Drobac is seen saying that his brother had committed suicide by jumping from the 14th floor shortly after the eviction, and described his current living conditions, that include a lack of electricity and running water. After the report, Stankovic asked his guest, journalist and former Croatian President’s Analytics Cabinet head, Drago Pilsel, to play the role of the PM and answer some questions. He replied to most of them by saying that Kosor had contributed to Croatia’s development and that it was the reason why she had gotten more rights, meaning, a larger apartment. “I wish Jadranka Kosor would shed a tear for Branislav Drobac who killed himself because of the apartment she’s now living in. It is completely clear that the state robbed the Drobac family of their apartment,” Pilsel said and pointed out that this was about the PM’s moral responsibility. According to the Croatian media, Kosor has through her lawyers accused Stankovic of slander and knowingly stating false information. They said that “Stankovic had linked the fate of an unfortunate family directly to Mrs. Kosor, constructing a thesis that the Drobac family had been kicked out of the Zagreb apartment so Kosor could move in”. The PM’s lawyers stressed that she obtained the apartment legally, and pointed out that the state prosecution has recently confirmed this. They added that the HRT journalist “had achieved all significant characteristics of criminal act of slander,” pointing out that HRT was also responsible according to the law, Index.hr website has reported. Kosor’s lawyers also stressed that the Croatian Journalists’ Association Honor Council and HRT Program Council would be notified about the case. HRT Spokesman Danko Druzijanic confirmed that a reaction to allegations heard in the program had arrived from the government, but that the text of this reaction would be published "in accordance with the law, in next week’s program".

Croat PM accuses journalist of slander

Stanković had aired the story about Momir Drobac, who was, along with his sick brother, evicted from his 90-square-meter apartment in Zagreb in 1995, at the request of the Croatian Defense Ministry.

They were forced out of their home so that a disabled Croat war veteran could move in. That person stayed in the apartment for only a few months, after which Kosor, then high official of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), moved in.

In a moving story, Drobac is seen saying that his brother had committed suicide by jumping from the 14th floor shortly after the eviction, and described his current living conditions, that include a lack of electricity and running water.

After the report, Stanković asked his guest, journalist and former Croatian President’s Analytics Cabinet head, Drago Pilsel, to play the role of the PM and answer some questions.

He replied to most of them by saying that Kosor had contributed to Croatia’s development and that it was the reason why she had gotten more rights, meaning, a larger apartment.

“I wish Jadranka Kosor would shed a tear for Branislav Drobac who killed himself because of the apartment she’s now living in. It is completely clear that the state robbed the Drobac family of their apartment,” Pilsel said and pointed out that this was about the PM’s moral responsibility.

According to the Croatian media, Kosor has through her lawyers accused Stanković of slander and knowingly stating false information.

They said that “Stanković had linked the fate of an unfortunate family directly to Mrs. Kosor, constructing a thesis that the Drobac family had been kicked out of the Zagreb apartment so Kosor could move in”.

The PM’s lawyers stressed that she obtained the apartment legally, and pointed out that the state prosecution has recently confirmed this.

They added that the HRT journalist “had achieved all significant characteristics of criminal act of slander,” pointing out that HRT was also responsible according to the law, Index.hr website has reported.

Kosor’s lawyers also stressed that the Croatian Journalists’ Association Honor Council and HRT Program Council would be notified about the case.

HRT Spokesman Danko Družijanić confirmed that a reaction to allegations heard in the program had arrived from the government, but that the text of this reaction would be published "in accordance with the law, in next week’s program".