Defamation

Gen. Gotovina files defamation action against Dutch TV station

11.02.2011 u 12:58

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The team of lawyers representing Croatian General Ante Gotovina has filed a lawsuit against the Dutch NCRV television station for defamation, lawyer Luka Misetic reported on Friday.

On 14 January 2011 the TV station aired a report in which Dutch Stefan van Zanten, who used to be a member of the UN Protection Forces (UNPROFOR) in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, "falsely claimed that general Gotovina was responsible for crimes which were allegedly committed against Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina during 1992" and that van Zanten reportedly suffered from PTSP due to those events.

The lawyer said that the TV station not only aired those "untrue statements" but, to make things worse, it showed horrendous photos of Croats and Bosniaks being tortured in the notorious Serb-run concentration camp in Trnopolje, alluding that Serbs were under the control of General Gotovina.

Therefore the defence team filed the defamation suit with the relevant court in Amsterdam asking that NCRV network should apologise to the Croatian general and pay EUR 50,000 in damages.