18. 11. 2005

JOURNALIST FINED FOR OUTBURST

ZAGREB, November 18, 2005 – Serbia-Montenegro journalist Ilija Males was fined with 3.000 Croatian kunas (450 Euros) for the nationalistic outburst at the soccer game between the two young national selections in Zagreb. The Croatian police reported yesterday that Males was taken into custody for offensive behavior during the strike up of the Croatian national anthem. Males, under strong influence of alcohol, was waving with Serbian symbol of three raised fingers and issuing a series of verbal offences from the journalists’ box at the football stadium “Radnik” in Velika Gorica. The police in Zagreb arrested him and issued him with the “preventive measure of cancellation of visit”. Males was appeared before the judge in Velika Gorica, who ordered him to pay the fine of 3.000 kunas for the violation of the Law on prevention of disorder at sports events. The judge ordered another 560 kunas fine for public disturbance and dishonoring and insulting of a public officer. The overall fine was reduced by 300 kunas for spending the night in jail. Males was also inflicted with the preventive measure of cancellation of stay, with the right to appeal, said the spokesperson of the Zagreb police, Davor Tor. Males was accredited as the journalist of TV Duga and RTV Melos. After the arrest, Males was tested 2.82 per mill of alcohol concentration in blood stream. The amount of alcohol taken on the way to Velika Gorica was most probably the reason why Males was not in control of his actions. Males told the judge he could remember raising three fingers, but denied all accusations of having nationalistic outburst and offending a police officer, since, as he stated, did not hate Croatian people, in fact, he was cooperating with many of them rather successfully.