Blaž Zgaga is an investigative journalist from Slovenia, who writes for the Croatian weekly news magazine, Nacional. He began his career at a Slovenian daily newspaper, Delo, and is an expert in national security, defense, corruption, tax evasion and the business of sport. Zgaga is the co-author of the investigative trilogy, In the Name of the State, which explores arms trafficking into the Balkans during the conflicts of the 1990s. He is a member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and works with European Investigative Collaborations (EIC). His articles have appeared in Der Spiegel, The Guardian, Mediapart, L’Espresso and many other publications. Zgaga was named among Reporters without Borders’ 100 Information Heroes in 2014, and shares the New York Press Club Award and the Scripps-Howard Award, among others.
In 2000 he revealed a clandestine US DIA operation in the Balkans and was prosecuted for – and later cleared of – charges of revealing military secrets. In 2007 he co-initiated a journalist’s petition against censorship, which was signed by 571 Slovenian journalists, representing one-quarter of all professional journalists in the country.
In collaboration with Finnish journalist Magnus Berglund, he unveiled massive corruption in the Patria arms deal in 2008. In consequent criminal trials in Finland, Austria, and Slovenia, many were sentenced, including then and current Slovenian prime minister Janez Janša, who was sentenced to two years in prison in 2013.
For reporting during the coronavirus crisis Zgaga was named among Reporters without Borders’ 30 Coronavirus Information Heroes and received Deutsche Welle’s The Freedom of Speech Award.
