23 June : World Whistleblowers Day

The whistleblower is a popular name for a person who reports irregularities. It is a person, usually, an employee, who discloses information or illegal activities within a private, public or public organization. Specifically, it warns of abuse of power, violation of the law, and corruption among superior or powerful individuals.

On the occasion of World Whistleblowers Day, Transparency International reminded the public what knowledge of recent years we owe to whistleblowers. Globally the most famous is without a doubt the case of Edward Snowden, a former U.S. intelligence operative who in 2013 uncovered mass surveillance of U.S. citizens organized by the National Security Agency (NSA). European whistleblowers have also made an important contribution to the responsible and transparent management of public goods. Antonie Deltour played an important role in uncovering the Luxembourg-based corporate tax evasion scandal in 2011. As for the immediate environment, the case of Zuzana Hlavkova, a young employee of the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who spoke publicly at the end of 2016 about the problematic public procurement procedure, is certainly interesting for Croatia.