Too often, we bare witness to stories of whistleblowers who are victims of persecution and threats. Yet, in a region that is marred with corruption, clientelism and distrust of citizens towards institutions, the role of whistleblowers is becoming increasingly important. An essential prerequisite for encouraging people to report illegal or unethical practices, both in the public and private sectors, is a legal framework that ensures adequate legal protections to such persons.

Why does Croatia still lack the political will to pass a law on the protection of whistleblowers; what is the role of whistleblowers in the protection of the European rule of law; and what is the situation in neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina which has the legal framework for the protection of whistleblowers, speaking on this at the press conference will be:

• Sasa Lekovic, Croatian Journalists Association   
• Duje Prkut, GONG
• Mark Worth, Southeast Europe Coalition on Whistleblower Protection

Immediately following the press conference will be an expert panel discussion on the importance of regulated legislation on whistleblowers protection and the experience of countries from the region. The panel discussion will be held from 10:30 to 12 a.m. in Human Rights House Zagreb, with the following speakers discussing the status and regulation of whistleblowers in Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia: 

• Alexander Bozhinovski, Center for Investigative Journalism SCOOP Macedonia
• Arjan Dyrmishi, Institute for Democracy and Mediation, Albania
• Zoran Gavrilovic, Bureau for Social Research, Serbia
• Sasa Lekovic, Croatian Journalists' Association, Croatia
• Jasna Panjeta, Regional Anti-corruption Initiative Secretariat, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Albulena Sadiku, Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, Kosovo

Working language is English, without translation.