H. E. Franjo Tudjman
President of the Republic of Croatia
Zagreb
Croatia
Vienna, 21 November 1996
Your Excellency,
The International Press Institute (IPI), representing editors and leading journalists from newspapers, magazines, broadcasting organisations and news agencies in over 85 countries, is most concerned about the recent refusal by your government to renew the broadcasting license of Radio 101.
We are informed that “financial reasons” were cited as the main argument for denying Radio 101 its license, despite that fact that the station has provided the necessary documentation said to be missing in its first application and having paid legal fees amounting to more than USD 35,000 for temporary licenses. Furthermore, the willingness to grant this frequency to a rival station which does not yet exist is highly suspect.
We consider these actions to be a flagrant attack on freedom of the press. They are inconsistent with your country’s commitment to the international community to respect the freedom of the media, which was expressed recently in connection with Croatia’s accession to the Council of Europe. Therefore, we urge you to use your utmost influence to see that the on-going harassment of the independent Croatian media is halted and that everything be done so that Radio 101 may continue to transmit freely.
We thank you for your attention.
Yours sincerely,
Johann P. Fritz
Director