Letter for friends from exile

Dear friend

I will try to write to you as short as possible, because there are many new information. If something is unclear, please let me know, and I will explain it to you.

Yesterday we came back from our 2-week Croatian holiday to Switzerland. Our daughter is going to the kindergarden again. We are now here till the end of April, when there is again a 2 week holiday.

As I told you, I had a hearing at the court as former employee against Vjesnik because of an unfair dismissal. I hope to think that this trail could be settle down in the following year and very well for me. There is no possibility to I give the job back, because the newspaper Vjesnik is not anymore in possesion by the firm Vjesnik (the firm doesn’t hire journalists anymore), but I hope to get a financial compensation.

When we were in Zagreb, I got another warrant for the court. He had to come to the higher court because the state attorney (under Karamarko’s influence and demand to the court) has sent a claim regarding secrecy breach during the course of investigation.
All this is another way for Karamarko to oppress on me. The court should had dismissed the action regarding the false informations and now this action regarding secrecy breach). The hearing was postponed for the 22. of March, because I could not be in Zagreb 02.03. I had to drive my family to Switzerland.

I have no new information if the higher court set an verdict to the Karamarko against my case (for false accusations….). The district court dismissed Karamarkos action (for procedural reasons) and Karamarko to a higher court.

As you know, our new croatian president is Ivo Josipović. I am very dissapointed with his first moves. Half of the office is taken from the old president Mesic. The worse example is the old-new (same) position of Sa�a Perković. He has still his job as advisor for national security. Josipović explained this as follows: he claimed in public that Perković junior helped him during the presidental campaign to protect his security. Allegedly some ex spies made some files with various rumours and lies about the presidental candidates and sent these files to some newspapers and all the presidental candidate headquaters. But no newspapers published these files and there were no harm. But obviosly Josipović was the only candidate who asked directly Mesić for help and Mesić gave him Perković to solve the problem. The very famous and knwon professor �arko Puhovski claims in an interview that Sa�a Perković infringe the law, because he is not allowed to help one of the candidate, he is not allowed to deal with information. But this is not the only sin of Sa�a Perković. I rember him in the Zagorac case (Zagorec is a war weapon smuggler who was accusated for stealing some diamonds), when Sa�a went to Vienna in 2007 (without the knowledge of the state attorney) and wanted to persuade Zagorec to come back to Croatia. He offered him privileges and no prosecution. Zagorec was enough smart to videotape this meeting together with the austrian police and austrian secret service. All the croatian news portals published this story. But the new international scandal is yet to come.

The German authorities issues an european arrest warrant against Josip Perković. It will be interesting to see how Josipović will react if this warrant comes to Croatia.

In March 2008 I sent a petition to president Mesić, premier Sanader and to the president of parlament committee for national security, Ranko Ostojić, where he gave evidence that the croatian secret service (while Karamarko was its chief) not only iniciated my arrest but wrote on my blog under false names and wrote defamated textes, where they accused I to be responsable for Levar’s death. Nobody answered on my petition, and the Committee didn’t discused about the petition allthough it was its duty.

Dear friend, if you are still interested in my case, I beg you to contact the new president Josipović, the premier Kosor and the president of the parlament committe, Ranko Ostojić. You mentioned an open letter to Karamarko?!

If there will be no improvment for us, we will be forced to stay in Switzerland for another few years. I had received another anonymous calls (with threats as if you hear a knife rasping on metalground ) after he gave an interview to the Radio 101 about Perković and Josipović. There were three such calls, anonymous. About the old threats (on peratovic.blog.hr), I had notified the police in 2008, nobody from the police and the state attorney informed me if there are any news.

In April a freelance journalist Zeljko Peratovic received two death threats posted on his blog. One of the threats was investigated by the police and the State Prosecutor’s Office, but the results were not made public. It is alleged that the other death threat was not investigated.

Best regards,
�eljko from Switzerland

45lines, Zuerich, 01. 03. 2010

Le journaliste Zeljko Peratovic victime de harc�lement juridique

Reporters sans fronti�res d�nonce les poursuites ouvertes le 14 janvier 2008 � l�encontre du journaliste Zeljko Peratovic, � la demande du ministre de l�Int�rieur Tomislav Karamarko, qui l�accuse d�avoir contrevenu � l�article 322/1 KZA du code p�nal prescrivant une peine de prison d�un an et des amendes � pour toute personne qui diffuserait des informations de nature � inqui�ter la population �.

Sur son blog (peratovic.net et peratovic.blog.hr), dans des courriers adress�s aux autorit�s juridiques nationales, et dans diverses interventions publiques, Zeljko Peratovic a d�nonc� l�obstruction pratiqu�e par Tomislav Karamarko dans l�enqu�te sur la mort de Milan Levar, un t�moin prot�g� du Tribunal p�nal international pour l�ex-Yougoslavie (TPIY) d�c�d� dans l�explosion de sa voiture, le 28 ao�t 2000 � Gospic. Une enqu�te a �t� ouverte, dans laquelle Zeljko Peratovic a �t� entendu comme t�moin, puisqu�il figure parmi les derni�res personnes � avoir vu Milan Levar en vie. En violation du secret de l�instruction, le procureur a ensuite r�v�l� l�identit� de Zeljko Peratovic

� Le ministre Karamarko se dit victime de diffamation, et pr�tend que je veux inqui�ter la population. Il poursuit cependant un autre but. Au-del� des amendes, le tribunal peut surtout d�cider de m�interdire, pour une dur�e ind�termin�e, de diffuser de l�information. Il me priverait de fait d�exercer toutes activit�s journalistiques, sur mon blog ou dans d�autres m�dias. Ceci m�interdirait aussi de poursuivre mes efforts pour que l�on d�couvre les commanditaires de l�assassinat de Milan Levar. Certains misent �galement sur la prescription dans ce dossier. Me r�duire au silence constituerait une voie possible pour y parvenir �, a d�clar� Zaljko Peratovic.

� Il semble que les enqu�tes men�es par la presse sur les crimes de guerre ne soient pas les bienvenues dans le contexte d�adh�sion � l�Union europ�enne. Le ministre de l�Int�rieur devrait plut�t s�attacher � la progression des enqu�tes sur l�assassinat d�un t�moin prot�g�, plut�t que de s�attaquer � ceux qui refusent de voir l�oubli et l�impunit� s�installer �, a d�clar� Reporters sans fronti�res.

� Les poursuites �tablies sur base de l�article 322/1 sont ridicules et irrecevables. La notion � d�information de nature � inqui�ter la population � constitue une vision obsol�te de la libert� d�expression, incompatible avec les standards d�mocratiques europ�ens auxquels la Croatie devra se conformer si elle veut rejoindre l�Union europ�enne �, a ajout� l�organisation.

� Enfin, si les poursuites contre Zeljko Peratovic devaient �tre maintenues, nous insistons pour que les prochaines auditions de chacune des parties ne soit plus effectu�es � huis clos. �, a conclu Reporters sans fronti�res.

En 2008, Zeljko Peratovic a re�u des menaces de mort par la voie de commentaires publi�s sur son blog. Le 17 octobre 2007, il avait �t� arr�t� � son domicile et plac� en d�tention, pour �divulgation de secret d�Etat�. Le journaliste avait publi� 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 ann�es 90. Il avait, notamment, �voqu� l�existence d�un t�moignage vid�o mettant en cause un des vice-pr�sidents du Parlement (M. Darko MILINOVIC, momentane Ministre de la Sant� et de la Protection sociale) et le d�funt ministre de la D�fense, Gojko Susak.. A 42 ans, Zeljko Peratovic, risquait jusqu�� trois ans d�emprisonnement. Si les poursuites contre le journaliste n�ont pas progress�, les charges retenues contre lui n�ont pas non plus �t� lev�es. Les archives qui avaient �t� saisies � cette occasion ne lui ont toujours pas �t� rendues.

Zeljko Peratovic a travaill� pour diff�rents quotidiens dont le dernier en date est Vjesnik. Ses enqu�tes sur les crimes de guerre lui ont valu de graves difficult�s. Il a perdu son emploi, a �t� agress� et est consid�r� comme un tra�tre par une partie de la population, qui refuse l�id�e m�me que des crimes aient pu �tre commis par des Croates pendant la guerre.

En 2003, il a re�u le prix de la libert� de la presse de la section autrichienne de Reporters sans fronti�res.

RSF, Europe et ex-URSS Croatie, Publi� le 15 janvier 2009

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.

RSF, Publi� le 15 janvier 2009

Who does SOA blog?!

�

Now that I have seen what the CNN blog released, I have gone through the blog more carefully and come across some other, allegedly �Agency�s� posts:

-�eljko, 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 Kre�o Bilan: If you agree with “�eljko�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)
…
“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 “PUNI�A” (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 ADLE�IĆ 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 �eljko Peratović!

“Kri�ar”, 1/2/2007, 08:08, in comment on post “Soa case of Nenada Vukman, member of the Council for the civil supervision of secret services”

Hm, you should remember what Mesić-Karamarko�s �Nacional� published after my arrest:

BLOGGER PUNI�A BROUGHT IN FOR QUESTIONING

�eljko 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 ‘Puni�a’

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 Dr�ić. 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 Dr�ić who was Perković�s associate in Zagreb..
��eljko has also mentioned Maks Manfreda, UDBA member, who testified in the court when Sindičić was tried for murdering Bruno Bu�ić. 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 �eljko 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.

��

45 lines, 5 March 2008, Wednesday

Ka�e odvjetnik Zvonimir Hodak da mu se javilo troje Vjesnikovih novinara, biv�ih urednika te da u njihovo ime priprema tu�bu protiv glavnog urednika Darka Đuretka za mobbing i seksualno uznemiravanje.

ZAGREB – U ime troje novinara Vjesnika, odvjetnički ured Zvonimira Hodaka priprema tu�be protiv Vjesnika i njegova glavnog urednika Darka Đuretka. Novine i glavnog urednika tu�i dvoje biv�ih glavnih urednika, Kre�imir Fijačko i Andrea Latinović, te biv�a zamjenica glavnog urednika Marijana Mika�inović Jambrović.

Njih će troje Vjesnik i Đureteka tu�iti zbog �ikaniranja na radnom mjestu i mobbinga, a A. Latinović i M. Mika�inović protiv Đuretka će podnijeti jo� i tu�bu zbog seksualnog uznemiravanja.

- Razlozi za tu�bu su �to su raspoređeni na poslove koji ne odgovaraju njihovoj stručnoj spremi, a to je protivno Zakonu o radu. Svima su smanjene plaće, i to drastično. Sve miri�i na revan�izam jer su svi bili glavni urednici, odnosno zamjenica – ka�e odvjetnik Hodak, dodajući da mu se javilo jo� nekoliko novinara iz Vjesnika koji također namjeravaju podići tu�be protiv Vjesnika i Đuretka, pa čak i pokrenuti kazneni postupak.
Ivanka Toma, Jutarnji list, 15.06.2006

Da je situacija u Vjesniku katastrofalna znam i sam. Pro�le godine su mi dali otkaz, a mobbingu sam bio izlo�en od strane Andreje Latinović i Marijane Mika�inović Jambrović i Marijane Matković. Direktor Franjo Maletić razrije�io je moju dramu sa sada�njim tu�iteljicama tako �to je meni dao otkaz, a njih rasporedio na druge poslove. Naravno, nisam ja uzrokovao njihovu smjenu. Moje su predstavke bile samo povod. Izgubile su podr�ku vrha HDZ-a. Odnosno izgubila ju je je Andrea Latinović, koja se jo� za vrijeme Kre�imira Fijačka gurala na putovanja sa Sanaderom. Dirljivi su bili njeni SMS-ovi kolegama iz Vatikana kako je predsjednik Sanader poljubio ruku Svetom Ocu Papi.

Sjećam se da me Marijana Matković, trenutno raspoređena na rad u Gradsku rubriku, uvjeravala početkom 2004. da će Andreja Latinović naslijediti Fijačka jer da za nju kod Sanadera sna�no lobiraju Andrija Hebrang i Jadranka Kosor. Tako se i dogodilo. Fijačka su smijenili i bez javnog natječaja za glavnu urednicu imenovali Andreju Latinović. Ona je odmah izabrala svoj tim: zamjenicu Marijanu Mika�inović, dugogodi�nju Vjesnikovu redaktoricu, pomoćnicu Marijanu Matković, novinarku specijaliziranu za socijalu, pomoćnika Zorana Vodopiju, biv�eg diplomata i vanjskopolitičkog novinara…

Oni su bili kadar HDZ-a. Postavio ih je direktor Franjo Maletić kojeg je Sanader poslao u Vjesnik. Smijenio ih je isti Maletić, a nikada se nisu �alili da su smijenjeni iz političkih razloga. Pa �to sada hoće?
U vrijeme kad sam ja maltretiran od te uprave i urednio�tva na mobbing se �alila i pokojna Vjesnikova dopisnica Snje�ana Čanić Divić, koja je od posljedica pritisaka na poslu i preminula ove godine. Njen otac mi je najavio tu�bu protiv Vjesnika, ali i uredni�tva iz vremena kada su počeli pritisci na Snje�anu.

Nekako mi se čini da su tu�be obitelji Čanić protiv Vjesnika i moje daleko ozbiljnije za te novine i neke od spomenutih urednica, nego �to postoji mogućnost da Hodakovi klijenti uopće podnesu tu�bu.

Naime, oni se nadaju da će se vije�ću iz Jutarnjeg upla�iti direktor Maletić i Đuretek, pa im povećati plaće. Ako prođe, prođe… Uostalom, kakve su to ozbiljne tu�be kad odvjetnik zapravo i nezna za �to bi konkretno optu�io.

vidi jo�:

Nesuđeni veleposlanik RH u �vicarskoj Zoran Vodopija preuzeo uređivanje Crne kronike u Vjesniku

OSCE Croatia – Vjesnik