Les poursuites juridiques à l’encontre de Zeljko Peratovic toujours infondées
Posted in: France, Freedom of speech, Gospic's case, Interior minister, Levar's case, blogs, legal actions, police repression | Comments (0)
COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE
13 mai 2009
Croatie
Les poursuites juridiques à l’encontre de Zeljko Peratovic toujours infondées
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________________________________________________________________Activists from the Paris-based press freedom group Reporters Without Borders, Robert Menard, left, Vincent Brossel, center, and Jean-Francois Julliard, right
Reporters sans frontières dénonce le maintien des poursuites ouvertes le 14 janvier 2008 à l’encontre du journaliste Zeljko Peratovic, à la demande du ministre de l’Intérieur Tomislav Karamarko, qui l’accuse d’avoir contrevenu à l’article 322/1 KZA du code pénal prescrivant une peine de prison d’un an et des amendes « pour toute personne qui diffuserait des informations de nature à inquiéter la population ».
Le ministre de l’Intérieur avait déjà été auditionné une première fois à l’issue de quoi il s’était avéré incapable d’apporter la preuve que les éléments juridiques du délit étaient réunis. En convoquant le 11 mai 2009 Tomislav Karamarko pour une seconde audition, la juge lui donnait une nouvelle occasion de défendre sa position à l’aide de témoins membres de son entourage proche. En vain.
« Il est désormais plus que temps de clôturer ce dossier qui ne repose sur aucun fondement. Les poursuites établies sur la base de l’article 322/1 sont inconsistantes et irrecevables. La notion ‘’d’information de nature à inquiéter la population’’ constitue une vision obsolète de la liberté d’expression », a déclaré Reporters sans frontières.
« Malgré l’opportunité ouverte par cette seconde audition, le ministre n’a manifestement toujours pas les moyens de prouver le bien-fondé de ses accusations. Les liens de Tomislav Karamarko avec les témoins cités résument bien toute la partialité des poursuites engagées. Le public « inquiété par les informations publiées » par Zeljko Peratovic peut-il être raisonnablement réduit à cinq personnes, membres de la famille du ministre ou anciens collaborateurs du service des renseignements qu’il dirigeait auparavant? », a ajouté l’organisation.
« Nous demandons aux autorités judiciaires en charge du dossier d’annuler toutes les poursuites ouvertes à l’encontre de Zeljko Peratovic », a conclu Jean-François Julliard, secrétaire général de Reporters sans frontières.
Sur ses blogs (peratovic.net et peratovic.blog.hr), Zeljko Peratovic a dénoncé l’obstruction pratiquée par Tomislav Karamarko dans l’enquête sur la mort de Milan Levar, un témoin protégé du Tribunal pénal international pour l’ex-Yougoslavie (TPIY) décédé dans l’explosion de sa voiture, le 28 août 2000 à Gospic.
47, rue Vivienne – 75002 Paris (France)
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Zeljko Peratovic @ July 3, 2009
Interior minister fails again to support charges against journalist
Posted in: 45 lines, Croatia, Freedom of speech, Gospic's case, ICTY, Interior minister, Levar's case, blogs, legal actions | Comments (0)
PRESS RELEASE
13 may 2009
Croatia
Interior minister fails again to support charges against journalist
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Reporters Without Borders condemns a court decision to continue investigating the charge of “disseminating information likely to upset the population” under article 322/1 of the criminal code that was brought against journalist Zeljko Peratovic in January at the behest at interior minister Tomislav Karamarko. It carries a maximum sentence of a year in prison as well as a possible fine.
Karamarko initiated the case against Peratovic because of allegations he made in two blogs, peratovic.net and peratovic.blog.hr, accusing Karamarko of obstructing the investigation into the death of Milan Levar, a witness under the protection of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), who was killed by a car bomb in Gospic in August 2000.
Karamarko failed to produce any legally sound evidence against Peratovic when he was initially questioned in court. A second hearing was held in the case on 11 May at which the minister was given another chance. He brought several aides and close associates along to testify but he again failed to support the charge.
“It is high time to close this case, which has no foundation,” Reporters Without Borders said. “The charges under article 322/1 are inconsistent and should be dismissed. The very concept of ‘information likely to upset the population’ is based on an obsolete idea of free expression.
“Despite being given another opportunity at this second hearing, the interior minister still clearly lacks the means to support his allegations. His ties to those who were summoned to testify highlight the lack of impartiality in this case. Is the population that is supposedly ‘upset’ by Peratovic’s information limited to these five people, all relatives of the minister or members of the intelligence agency he used to head?”
Reporters Without Borders added: “We urge the judicial authorities in charge of this case to dismiss all the charges against Peratovic.”
Zeljko Peratovic @ July 3, 2009
Le journaliste Zeljko Peratovic victime de harcèlement juridique
Posted in: 45 lines, European Union, Gospic's case, ICTY, Interior minister, Levar's case, award, blogs, criminal charge, harassment, journalists, ministre de la Défense, war crime | Comments (0)
Le journaliste Zeljko Peratovic victime de harcèlement juridique
Reporters sans frontières dénonce les poursuites ouvertes le 14 janvier 2008 à l’encontre du journaliste Zeljko Peratovic, à la demande du ministre de l’Intérieur Tomislav Karamarko, qui l’accuse d’avoir contrevenu à l’article 322/1 KZA du code pénal prescrivant une peine de prison d’un an et des amendes « pour toute personne qui diffuserait des informations de nature à inquiéter la population ».
Sur son blog (peratovic.net et peratovic.blog.hr), dans des courriers adressés aux autorités juridiques nationales, et dans diverses interventions publiques, Zeljko Peratovic a dénoncé l’obstruction pratiquée par Tomislav Karamarko dans l’enquête sur la mort de Milan Levar, un témoin protégé du Tribunal pénal international pour l’ex-Yougoslavie (TPIY) décédé dans l’explosion de sa voiture, le 28 août 2000 à Gospic. Une enquête a été ouverte, dans laquelle Zeljko Peratovic a été entendu comme témoin, puisqu’il figure parmi les dernières personnes à avoir vu Milan Levar en vie. En violation du secret de l’instruction, le procureur a ensuite révélé l’identité de Zeljko Peratovic
« Le ministre Karamarko se dit victime de diffamation, et prétend que je veux inquiéter la population. Il poursuit cependant un autre but. Au-delà des amendes, le tribunal peut surtout décider de m’interdire, pour une durée indéterminée, de diffuser de l’information. Il me priverait de fait d’exercer toutes activités journalistiques, sur mon blog ou dans d’autres médias. Ceci m’interdirait aussi de poursuivre mes efforts pour que l’on découvre les commanditaires de l’assassinat de Milan Levar. Certains misent également sur la prescription dans ce dossier. Me réduire au silence constituerait une voie possible pour y parvenir », a déclaré Zaljko Peratovic.
« Il semble que les enquêtes menées par la presse sur les crimes de guerre ne soient pas les bienvenues dans le contexte d’adhésion à l’Union européenne. Le ministre de l’Intérieur devrait plutôt s’attacher à la progression des enquêtes sur l’assassinat d’un témoin protégé, plutôt que de s’attaquer à ceux qui refusent de voir l’oubli et l’impunité s’installer », a déclaré Reporters sans frontières.
« Les poursuites établies sur base de l’article 322/1 sont ridicules et irrecevables. La notion « d’information de nature à inquiéter la population » constitue une vision obsolète de la liberté d’expression, incompatible avec les standards démocratiques européens auxquels la Croatie devra se conformer si elle veut rejoindre l’Union européenne », a ajouté l’organisation.
« Enfin, si les poursuites contre Zeljko Peratovic devaient être maintenues, nous insistons pour que les prochaines auditions de chacune des parties ne soit plus effectuées à huis clos. », a conclu Reporters sans frontières.
En 2008, Zeljko Peratovic a reçu des menaces de mort par la voie de commentaires publiés sur son blog. Le 17 octobre 2007, il avait été arrêté à son domicile et placé en détention, pour “divulgation de secret d’Etat“. Le journaliste avait publié sur son blog (peratovic.net et peratovic.blog.hr) des documents relatifs aux crimes de guerre commis dans le village de Gospic (sud-ouest de la Croatie), dans les années 90. Il avait, notamment, évoqué l’existence d’un témoignage vidéo mettant en cause un des vice-présidents du Parlement (M. Darko MILINOVIC, momentane Ministre de la Santé et de la Protection sociale) et le défunt ministre de la Défense, Gojko Susak.. A 42 ans, Zeljko Peratovic, risquait jusqu’à trois ans d’emprisonnement. Si les poursuites contre le journaliste n’ont pas progressé, les charges retenues contre lui n’ont pas non plus été levées. Les archives qui avaient été saisies à cette occasion ne lui ont toujours pas été rendues.
Zeljko Peratovic a travaillé pour différents quotidiens dont le dernier en date est Vjesnik. Ses enquêtes sur les crimes de guerre lui ont valu de graves difficultés. Il a perdu son emploi, a été agressé et est considéré comme un traître par une partie de la population, qui refuse l’idée même que des crimes aient pu être commis par des Croates pendant la guerre.
En 2003, il a reçu le prix de la liberté de la presse de la section autrichienne de Reporters sans frontières.
RSF, Europe et ex-URSS Croatie, Publié le 15 janvier 2009
Zeljko Peratovic @ July 3, 2009
Judicial harassment of war crimes reporter continues
Posted in: 45 lines, European Union, Freedom of speech, Gospic's case, ICTY, Interior minister, Levar's case, award, blogs, criminal charge, harassment, journalists, legal actions, war crime | Comments (0)
Judicial harassment of war crimes reporter continues
Croatia, 15. 01. 2009
Reporters Without Borders condemns the charge that was brought yesterday at the behest at interior minister Tomislav Karamarko against a journalist who writes about war crimes in the 1990s. Zeljko Peratovic is accused of “disseminating information likely to upset the population” under article 322/1 KZA of the criminal code, which carries a maximum sentence of a year in prison as well as a possible fine.
In blog entries (peratovic.net and peratovic.blog.hr), letters to national judicial officials and a series of public statements, Peratovic has accused the interior minister of obstructing the investigation into the death of Milan Levar, a witness under the protection of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), who was killed by a car bomb in the southeastern village of Gospic in August 2000.
Peratovic was questioned as a witness in the course of the investigation because he was one of the last people to see Levar alive. The prosecutor in charge of the investigation subsequently identified Peratovic as a witness, in violation of judicial confidentiality.
“Interior minister Karamarko portrays himself as the victim of defamation and claims that I want to upset the population, but he is pursuing a different objective” Peratovic said. “As well as fining me, the court could above all decide to ban me from disseminating information for an indefinite period. That would prevent be from undertaking any kind of journalistic activity, on my blog or in other media.”
Peratovic added : “It would also prevent me from continuing my effort to discover who was behind Milan Levar’s murder. Some people are counting on the statute of limitations eventually applying to this case. Silencing me could be a way of achieving this.”
Reporters Without Borders said : “It seems that press investigations into war crimes are not welcome at a time when Croatia is trying to join the European Union. The interior minister should be trying to help the investigation into a protected witness’s murder rather than attacking those who refuse to let war crimes be forgotten and go unpunished.”
“The prosecution being brought against Peratovic under article 322/1 is ridiculous and unacceptable,” the press freedom organisation continued. “The crime of ‘information likely to upset the population’ reflects on obsolete view of freedom of expression that is incompatible with the European democratic standards that Croatia will have to conform to if it wants to join the EU.”
Reporters Without Borders added : “If the prosecution of Peratovic goes ahead, we insist that whenever any of the parties are questioned in court, it no longer takes place behind closed doors.”
Zeljko Peratovic, who received death threats in 2008 in the form of comments added to his blog, was arrested at his home on 17 October 2007 on a charge of revealing state secret for posting documents on his blog relating to war crimes in Gospic in the 1990s, and for referring to the existence of a video of witness accusing former defence minister Gojko Susak (now deceased) and a parliamentary deputy president (Darko Milinovic, now croatian minister of th health and new vice president of HDZ, op. 45 lines) of involvement.
Aged 42, he faced a possible three-year prison sentence. In the event, the prosecution was not pursued but the charges have not been withdrawn and the files confiscated by the police have still not been returned to him.
Peratovic has worked for various newspapers, the latest of which is Vjesnik. His investigations into war crimes have earned him a lot of trouble. He has been fired, he has been physically attacked and he is regarded as a traitor by many of his compatriots, who refuse outright to consider the possibility that Croatians may have committed war crimes.
He received the received the press freedom prize of the Reporters Without Borders Austrian section in 2003.
Zeljko Peratovic @ July 3, 2009
Les autorités croates s’en prennent à la fille du journaliste Zeljko Peratovic
Posted in: Freedom of speech, police repression | Comments (0)
– Zeljko Peratovic, journaliste croate indépendant, persécuté par les autorités croates en raison de ses investigations sur les crimes de guerre et les liens entre le crime organisé, le milieu politique et les structures de renseignements a reçu, aujourd’hui dimanche 14 juin 2009, une convocation de la police de Zagreb, commissariat n°7, d’avoir à se présenter le 16 juin 2009 à 12.30 auprès des services sociaux pour des prétendus faits de “comportement indécent envers sa fille” âgée de 5 ans et demi, également convoquée. Cette convocation fait suite à une dénonciation anonyme, moyen couramment utilisé dans les anciens pays communises pour placer des accusations montées de toutes pièces. Au delà des persécutions policières et judiciaires qu’elles infligent au journaliste indépendant depuis des années, les autorités croates s’en prennent aujourd’hui à sa famille et pire, à son enfant. Ces accusations infondées relèvent de la plus abjecte manipulation et visent à isoler encore plus le journaliste, à le placer au ban de la société et à détruire sa famille.
Karamarko (ministre de l’Intérieur) et Mesic (Président de la République) n’en sont pas à leur coup d’essai : après avoir interné de force à l’asile psychiatrique de Zagreb tant l’avocate Ana Jendris-Jelesic (lui faisant croire que son fils avait été liquidé) que Mirjana Pukanic, après avoir menacé de m’y interner en raison du dossier Tomulic et après s’en être pris à la fille de Mirjana Pukanic au moyen du même centre d’aide sociale, ces derniers appliquent les mêmes méthodes pour s’en prendre à Zeljko Peratovic et sa famille.
Au delà, ces accusations constituent clairement une menace dirigée contre la fille du journaliste dans un pays où encore très récemment était froidement abattue la fille d’un avocat “ciblé” afin de faire pression sur lui. En s’en prenant à la fille de Zeljko Peratovic, en basant de nouvelles pressions sur l’enfant de la personne “ciblée”, les autorités croates montrant qu’elles utilisent les mêmes méthodes que les assassins d’Ivana Hodak et font officiellement peser sur Zeljko Peratovic et sa famille les plus grandes inquiétudes pour leur sécurité et leur intégrité physique.
Blog de l’avocat Ivan JURASINOVIC, le 15/06/09 – 00:23
Zeljko Peratovic @ June 15, 2009
Kroatischer Journalist Zeljko Peratovic von Innenminister verklagt
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Kroatischer Journalist Zeljko Peratovic von Innenminister verklagt
Der kroatische Journalist Zeljko Peratovic, bekannt für seine Berichte über Kriegsverbrechen im ehemaligen Jugoslawien während der 1990er Jahre, ist vom kroatischen Innenminister Tomislav Karamarko angeklagt worden. Er wird beschuldigt, Informationen veröffentlicht zu haben, die “zu Aufregung in der Bevölkerung” führen könnte, so die Anklage, die sich nach Artikel 322/1 KZA des Strafgesetzes richtet und maximal ein Jahr Gefängnis sowie eine mögliche Geldstrafe beinhaltet.
Peratovic hatte in seinen Blogeinträgen (peratovic.net und peratovic.blog.hr) Briefe an nationale Justizbeamte sowie eine Reihe von öffentlichen Statements publiziert. Er beschuldigte darin den Innenminister, die Untersuchungen zum Tod des Zeugen vor dem Internationalen Tribunal für Kriegsverbrecher im ehemaligen Jugoslawien, Milan Levar, zu behindern. Levar wurde im Jahr 2000 Opfer eines Autobombenattentats.
Peratovic, einer der letzten, die Levar lebend gesehen hatten, wurde als Zeuge in Ermittlungen um den Anschlag befragt. Der Journalist vermutet eine bestimmte Absicht hinter Karamarkos Anklage gegen ihn: “das Gericht könnte auch, statt einer Geldstrafe, ein Verbot für mich in der Verbreitung von Informationen durchsetzen. Das würde verhindern, dass ich jede Art von Journalistischer Tätigkeit ausüben könnte, sei es auf meinem Blog oder in anderen Medien.” Damit sei auch seinem Bemühen, den Fall Milan Levar aufzuklären, ein Ende gesetzt.
Reporter ohne Grenzen verurteilt die Anklage gegen Peratovic. “Es scheint, als ob das Einmischen der Medien in Kriegsverbrecherprozesse nicht willkommen ist zu einer Zeit, in der Kroatien um den Beitritt in die Europäische Union bemüht ist, so Rubina Möhring.”Der Innenminister sollte engagiert sein, die Untersuchungen um den Mord an einem geschützten Zeugen zu unterstützen statt diejenigen zu attackieren, die sich weigern, Kriegsverbrechen zu vergessen und unbestraft zu lassen”, führt sie fort.
Die Bestrafung unter Artikel 322/1 sei lächerlich und nicht akzeptabel, so die Organisation: “Das Verbrechen, Informationen zu verbreiten, die die Öffentlichkeit aufregen könnten, zeugt von einer obsoleten Ansicht über freie Meinungsäußerung, die völlig inkompatibel ist mit den demokratischen Standards der EU.”Diesen muss sich Kroatien aber anpassen, wenn es der EU beitreten will.”
“Wenn die Anklage gegen Peratovic länger andauert werden wir dafür sorgen, dass jede Anhörung vor Gericht bei offenen Türen stattfindet,” so die Organisation.
Zeljko Peratovic, der 2008 Todesdrohungen bekommen hatte, wurde schon 2007 verhaftet,unter anderem weil er Staatsgeheimnisse über Kriegsverbrechen in den 1990ern auf seinem Blog veröffenlicht hatte. Er arbeitete für verschiedene Zeitungen, zuletzt für “Vjesnik“. 2003 bekam er von Reporter ohne Grenzen Österreich den Press Freedom Award.
Zeljko Peratovic @ January 26, 2009
Who does SOA blog?!
Posted in: harassment, secret services | Comments (0)
Who does SOA blog?!
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-Željko, what kind of intelligence underground are you talking about? When you write all sorts of nonsense and misinformation, then it is called “professional” journalism. When someone is critical and asks you for anything concerning your work as a journalist, then you say how that is exclusively to the order and in the production of “the intelligence underground”. Didn’t Franjo Turek use the same terminology? Didn’t he name certain Croatian journalists “intelligence underground”? It seems that you have yet another point of reference.
As far as my assertion (indicating you and (let me use your jargon) Daddy Manolić operating together) is concerned, it seems you haven’t overworked yourself to deny that. The fact is you can’t deny it because one just has to read your texts and comments.
Now that you have forced me to speak, I will point to one more specualtion that is being talked about in Gospić and Rijeka. The story says that, at some time, you used to inform some unsavory characters on late Levar’s movement (the same Levar you feel so protective about now and about whom you have already written « War and peace » on your Internet pages). Naturally, you will say again that it is a classic example of « intelligence undergorund » set-up (30/1/2007 ; 21:20)
- for Krešo Bilan: If you agree with “Željko’s information”, then why haven’t you brought charges especially since, as you have indicated yourself, the mechanisms of the rule of law don’t function ? As far as my anonymity is concerned, it is my discretional right. If writers can publish books using false names and pen names, then we can contribute our comments in the same way. 31/1/2007, (14:17)
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“aleluja” in comments on post “Spies rushed on to blog” on 45 lines
I have been repeatedly warning the public and authorities that the SOA director Tomislav Karamarko was obstructing Milan Levar’s murder investigation. Then, in order to turn attention from the topic, the “Agency” accused me of “snitching” Levar to “unsavory characters”. What is it: protection of national interests or protection of killers?!-Peratović, or I should call you AGENT “PUNIŠA” (the spy name Turek gave you), how much does your integrity cost? Is it HRK1, 000 a month plus bonus per every “quality” information? Still, the price is irrelevant- what matters is integrity.
Tell me, will you be able to look ĐURĐA ADLEŠIĆ square in the eye since you told Turek that her lover was SIS member Josip Trogrlić. Moreover, you said that she was so much in love with him that she told him the most confidential information she knew as (then) the chief of the parliamentary Board for national security?
Greetings to aleluja, he is on a good track, let him just keep digging on hypocrite Željko Peratović!
Hm, you should remember what Mesić-Karamarko’s “Nacional” published after my arrest:
BLOGGER PUNIŠA BROUGHT IN FOR QUESTIONING
Željko Peratović started and ended his journalist’s career in Vjesnik. He also wrote for a number of newspapers, including Nacional where he worked shortly. Some secret services considered him their associate while his code name in POA records was ‘Puniša’
Berislav Jelinić, Nacional, 22/10/007.
Who briefed “Nacional” on how to discredit me? Was it the Agency or Berislav Jelinić, a journalist, who came across this information while surfing the Internet and believed it to be true although it came from “an anonymous commentator?
Those were the attempts to discredit me followed by “lujka“’s provocative comment:
@45.- here is the precise information. Josip Buljević has been touring South America for 2 weeks now. He spent most of the time in the Croatian Embassy in Buenos Aires where the scandal, similar to the one in Portugal, broke. The Embassy’s employees have reported how Buljević introduced the reign of terror, verbally abused them, and even suggested the polygraph testing for the ambassador’s bodyguard. At the same time, he was frequently seen dining with Rojnica’s closest relatives and friends!
“lujka”, 29/04/2007, (16:46), comment on post “Tomislav Karamarko and Tihomir Oresković
- for comment: read H.L. from the first half of the last year (Perković is on the front cover). The article is under the headline “I didn’t order immigrants’ killings”, signed by Tomislav Držić. The attempt was to grant amnesty to-free Perković from any responsibility for mass killings of Croats that took place abroad. Those killings were planned and helped by the State security service which was, for many years, run by the above mentioned Josip Perković.
This article is interesting for the reason that it was signed by Tomislav Držić who was Perković’s associate in Zagreb..
Željko has also mentioned Maks Manfreda, UDBA member, who testified in the court when Sindičić was tried for murdering Bruno Bušić. However, he didn’t mention professor of TIPSS and Marxism, a former police officer, who used to fuss about Bruno and send reports on him to the Split UDBA. What a coincidence! He also writes for H.L. that ran the article with the reconstruction of associates’ net from the “professional’s” (J.P.’s) memory. Do you know whose name was deleted from that associates’ list in H.L.? The name of Ante Ivković from “Vjesnik”, Marijačić’s journalist’s mentor and protector, who was also SDS and KOS associate.
As far as Ivan Bandić is concerned, you should look into who is behind him, who gave him the permission for an interview in Globus one year ago (here I don’t refer to J.P.). Those people, more than anyone, are against any kind of lustration.
“lujka”, 11/04/2007,21:37, comment on post “Mark Cigoj defending Ivan Bandić
To sum up, they wanted to discredit me by “ingratiating themselves with me” and denouncing colleagues from “Hrvatski list”, about whom, except Tomislav Jelić, I don’t have some positive opinion.
With regards to these provocative acts, I hove come into possession of some other evidence which I will not disclose for the time being.
As far as “Antimon”, reported by CNN to be one of “Agency’s” nicks, is concerned, I couldn’t find his posts. However, I presume that we are probably talking about hate speech aimed at Bosniaks (mentioning terms such as “balija” and “bastards”, disparaging Karamarko’s wife Enisa’s family and insulting Željko Malnar, co-founder of Karamarko’s company “Soboli” etc.), in comments on post “Bosniaks’ quota in SOA”. I deleted those comments after being warned by Nemanja alias Kapetan Kuka that, in the name of “freedom of speech”, I mustn’t allow “hate speech” …I think that Ostojić’s parliamentary board and its Council will be rather busy. Here’s to them! If these posts turn out to be, and they can be checked by tracing logs, “Agency’s” posts, then those are the offences for which SOA chief, Tomislav Karamarko, as well as the general state attorney Mladen Bajić, who allegedly approved of such “activities”, will have to be accountable for.
They will not pass Euro-Atlantic integrations’ “lustration” and that is why I am the obstacle – or State enemy no. 1 – in “approaching” the integrations.
Zeljko Peratovic @ January 11, 2009
Karamarko files private suit against journalists
Posted in: 45 lines | Comments (0)
Prosecution authorities rejected suit; Karamarko files private suit against journalists
Since the County State Attorney’s office in Zagreb rejected Tomislav Karamarko’s suit against Željko Peratović, a journalist and blogger, the Minister decided to deal with it on his own. Therefore, his lawyer Veljko Miljević filed a suit against Peratović for spreading disturbing rumours.
A couple of days ago, Karamarko was interviewed for Večernji list. When talking about offensive articles appearing on the Internet and whether the police should be at disposal to people who feel hurt or slandered by the contents of that media, Karamarko said that the Internet is legally a gray area.
He also added that there were all sorts of things written about him on the Internet and pointed out that he was dealing with the problem in a way that he filed suits against two bloggers.
One of them is Peratović who received the formal decision of the Municipal Criminal Court in Zagreb yesterday. It said that he would be under investigation for spreading disturbing rumours. Peratović could not say which of his texts (and he published a series of articles on POA and its recent director) are the main cause for the suit since that data was not mentioned in the formal decision about conducting the investigation.
Karamarko also accused Peratović of revealing a state secret and the State Attorney’s office acted according to the accusation. Peratović was then arrested, his apartment was raided and his computers were seized. Still, there are no legal proceedings against him nor have they given up prosecuting him. They rejected the suit for spreading disturbing rumours since, in their view, a larger number of people did not get upset by Peratović’s blog, without which there is no offence.
Is Bešker being targeted by the Minister?
Tomislav Karamarko, the interior minister, is allegedly suing Jutarnji list columnist Inoslav Bešker. According to Bešker, he received a note which said that the Minister had the intention to sue him because of the article in which he criticized secret services when POA’s chief was Karamarko. The main cause for that was the information that Radovan Karadžić, while still at large, was moving around Dalmatia.
Bešker objected secret services the fact that instead of catching a fugitive they were dealing with journalists.
Zeljko Peratovic @ January 11, 2009
Karadžić and Karamarko
Posted in: Homeland security, Levar's case, secret services, war crime | Comments (0)
Karadžić and Karamarko
Croatian secret services have one more additional argument when claiming that they did not know where Ante Gotovina was when he was searched for by the Hague court and when that was the reason why the European Union was blocking negotiations with Croatia. Now, I can say it openly: we did not even know that Radovan Karadžić was spending his time in Čiovo and you can trust us when we say that we would want to catch him!
Who knows whether one should be completely confident of that? Croatian and Serbian leaders were involved in trading all sorts of things in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Radovan Karadžić, together with Ivica Rajić, could have been protected by someone from the Croatian secret services while he was soaking himself in the Croatian Adriatic Sea.
The fact that Radovan Karadžić was entering and leaving Croatia whenever he wanted, that he was preparing to go back to Split where he could witness Sanader’s famous rally to save Mirko Norac or some of the Pope’s visits to Dalmatia, is evidence of what sorts of secret services, paid from our taxes, we have.It is scary if they did know that and even worse if they were entirely unaware of that fact. At that time they were rather busy and had their priorities such as following, prosecuting, intimidating and harassing journalists. Detention of Željko Peratović, confiscation of his work tools, obstruction of employment opportunities; blackmailing Helena Puljiz; breathing down Drago Hedl’s neck and intimidating him with the data collected by wiretapping Feral; stalking Pavelić, Đikić, Malić, Čičak and Butković -stalking them but not Karadžić.
It has been 53 days that somebody beat up and tried to kill journalist Duško Miljuš. It is futile to expect those agencies to help the police not to find a person who did that to Duško Miljuš, but the person who ordered that – the person who is evidently involved in subversive activities against the constitutional order in Croatia. Similarly, we have been waiting for 2884 days for them to say, not who murdered the Hague witness Milan Levar ( because they know that but the evidence do not find their way to the court), but again, who ordered it. Those would be the pieces of information for which they are paid. Instead of that, those agencies prosecute the information for which you pay.
Zeljko Peratovic @ January 11, 2009
Legal lack of rights more dangerous than the illegal one
Posted in: Freedom of speech, journalists, secret services | Comments (0)
Legal lack of rights more dangerous than the illegal one
The situation is much more dangerous than I anticipated: some entirely impermissible actions in Croatia are not illegal but completely legal.
Violation of human and professional rights caused by the breach of law is definitely dangerous. However, the system has in-built mechanisms that are used to resist that and prosecute perpetrators. Violation of human and professional rights that is in accordance with the law is much more dangerous since it is an indicator that the system has in-built mechanisms that are favourable to such behaviour. It is similar to Stalin’s Soviet Union which had one of the most liberal constitutions in the world but, according to it, it was not illegal to put people, mostly communists, into concentration camps nor was it against the law to lock people up, primarily smarter ones, in mental hospitals.
Peratović case: Council for Civil Supervision of Security –Intelligence agencies held the opinion that, pursuant to Article 113 of the Act on Security and Intelligence system of the Republic of Croatia, it is entirely legal to detain and harass a citizen who is in this case a journalist. It is also legal to seize his work tools, such as computers with saved archives, and keep them for a longer period, suspect him of revealing state and military secrets without any foundation, and, in accordance with the above mentioned, it is utterly unfounded to doubt that his basic human and professional rights were violated by the above described procedures. Consequently, working independently and keeping your own archive and using it in Croatia is not regarded as basic human and professional rights if civil servants do not like what you do or how you do it.
Violation of human and professional rights that is in accordance with the law is very dangerous since it is an indicator that the system has in-built mechanisms that are favourable to such a behaviour
The matter in case is the petition of Željko Peratović, an investigative journalist, which he submitted to the Council for Civil Supervision of Security –Intelligence agencies and the parliamentary Board for Internal Politics and National Security. In the petition, he asked for the protection of his human and professional rights. However, the petition, as we have seen, was rejected.
As Freedom House reported, Peratović’s detention, together with breaking into Gordan Malić’s apartment and death threats directed at Robert Valdec, was mentioned as the reason why Croatia was placed at the 78th place of the world chart of media freedom. It should be also mentioned that the Croatian journalists’ association supported its member’s petition. The HND say that from the alleged SOA document which was released follows that the SOA was incriminating Peratović for his writing.
Željko Peratović was professionally investigating the murder of Milan Levar, a witness to war crimes, and the obstruction of the investigation of Levar’s murderers for which he suspected the members of security-intelligence system.
Moreover, the non-denied analysis conducted by the SOA which dealt with Peratović’s work was released and it confirmed that the SOA “was decreasing damage” by infiltrating into the media space, making comments on blogs and other Internet pages.
Naturally, it would not be for the first time that some state secret service was spreading (mis)information – it is also happening in Italy where the military espionage had a special department whose purpose was to misinform and slander – but that certainly is not the purpose for which citizens finance the service. In a decent world, it would be a shame and not the reason for earning salary and deserving a medal.
Pukanić case: The police, its internal control and one parliamentary board found that there was nothing illegal in preventing a citizen from informing journalists about something by using force, including handcuffs. The same citizen was then taken to a psychiatric hospital, where she does not belong in terms of the place of residence. The usual doctor’s procedure or any medical basis (as it was established by the follow-up specialist check-up) were lacking. The citizen was kept there under coercion for days.
This is naturally the case of Mirjana Pukanić.
The question is what her destiny would be like if the Croatian Helsinki Committee, a non-government organization, did not get involved. Unlike it, state authorities, as we have heard, were acting in accordance with the law.
The freedom of media is naturally the main goal of those legal but impermissible procedures but it is not the main victim. What is more endangered is civil freedom itself. If we are to believe the authorities that say that the law in Croatia enables and justifies pressures and threats to freedom that Željko Peratović and Mirjana Pukanić suffered – then it means that any of you, ladies and gentlemen, who voted for those who passed such laws and who pay taxes in order to finance all of that, can legally find himself in the same situation.
Inoslav Bešker, RIMOVANJE, Jutarnji.hr, 14 May 2008
Zeljko Peratovic @ January 11, 2009