Croatian singer Severina acquitted of coercive behavior charges

After three years of closed-door proceedings, Croatian pop star Severina Vučković has been cleared of charges related to coercive behavior. A Zagreb court ruled that the singer's actions toward a school principal and a former director of a child protection clinic did not meet the threshold for a criminal offense. The prosecution had sought a ten-month suspended prison sentence.

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I don't know what you would do in my place. They interfered with my child. Instead of the state protecting me and my child, they filed charges against me for coercive behavior.

The verdict, which is not yet final, comes after Vučković presented her side of the story last week, denying guilt and refusing to answer prosecution questions. The charges alleged that in 2021, she sent over 150 messages to the two women. Vučković stated she acted out of distress over their responses to the custody proceedings concerning her son, who was to live with either her or his father, Milan Popović.

While one of the women, principal Ljiljana Klinger, responded to some messages and asked Vučković to stop, the other, Gordana Buljan Flander, did not reply. The trial was held behind closed doors due to the child's protection. Despite this, Vučković publicly stated her belief that the state should have protected her and her child instead of prosecuting her for coercive behavior. She argued that both women acted from a position of power and contributed to her child being taken away for 20 months.

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This is a message to all others that they can behave like Severina and solve their life problems in this way.

Klinger, however, expressed surprise at the verdict, questioning the message it sends to others. "This is a message to all others that they can behave like Severina and solve their life problems in this way," Klinger stated. She added that their "worlds are completely different, as are our life standards, both in terms of academic and worldview. If her view and worldview prevail, I have nothing more to add or subtract."

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Our worlds are completely different, as are our life standards, both in terms of academic and worldview. If her view and worldview prevail, I have nothing more to add or subtract.