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 Saša 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 Žarko Puhovski claims in an interview that Saša 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 Saša Perković. I rember him in the Zagorac case (Zagorec is a war weapon smuggler who was accusated for stealing some diamonds), when Saša 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,
Željko from Switzerland

45lines, Zuerich, 01. 03. 2010

Risiko-Blogger

Der kroatische Journalist Zeljko Peratovic meint, dass nationales Interesse keine Morde rechtfertigt. Das schafft ihm Feinde

ZAGREB. “Wir haben hier eine Anzeige gegen Sie”, sagte der freundliche Polizist an der Haustür. “Sie sollen Ihr Kind unsittlich angefasst haben.” Zeljko Peratovic hat schon viel erlebt in seinem Journalistendasein: Er hat über den Krieg berichtet und sein wichtigster Informant, ein guter Freund zudem, wurde in die Luft gesprengt. Aber der schlimmste Horror packte ihn in dem Moment, als er an seiner Haustür in Zagreb dem freundlichen Polizisten ins Auge sah. Denn den Krieg und den Mord erlebte der heute 42-Jährige noch als Journalist mit einer Zeitung im Rücken. Als die Polizei bei ihm klingelte, war er nur noch ein Blogger – ein Unterschied, der sehr wichtig werden kann.

Zeljko Peratovic ist in Kroatien nicht irgendwer. Peratovic hat das Massaker von Gospic publik gemacht: Als Reporter der Wochenzeitung Globus publizierte er die Gräueltaten in der beschaulichen kroatischen Kleinstadt, wo 1991, zu Beginn des Krieges, reihenweise Serben aus ihren Häusern geholt, in einen geheimnisvollen VW Golf gezerrt, in den Wald gefahren und dort erschossen wurden. Nicht alle Kroaten mochten zu den Verbrechen schweigen. “Ich bin nicht in den Krieg gezogen, um Omas umzubringen”, sagte ein kroatischer Soldat und wurde zu Peratovics Kronzeugen. Dieser freundete sich mit dem tapferen Aussteiger an.

Aber noch bevor der Soldat aussagen konnte, sprengte ihn im Februar 2000 eine Autobombe in die Luft. Seine Geschichten über Gospic machten den Journalisten Peratovic zu einem Helden des “anderen Kroatien”: der starken Minderheit, die schon immer der Meinung war, dass man selbst dann nicht schweigen, lügen oder gar morden dürfe, wenn das mit einem angeblichen nationalen Interesse begründet wird.

Als der Kronzeuge bei dem Attentat starb, war dieses andere Kroatien soeben zur Mehrheit geworden. Der autokratische Staatsgründer Tudjman war wenige Wochen tot, und Präsident wurde kurz darauf ein Mann, der über die Gräuel mit Tudjman und seinen Radikalen gebrochen hatte: Stipe Mesic. Es gab eine dunkle Szene, die der nationalen Extremisten und der Mafiosi, und ein helle der liberalen Demokraten. Nach der dunklen war die helle Ära angebrochen.

Wenn der klapperdürre Peratovic in der Innenstadt Zagrebs an den schicken Terrassencafés vorbeiläuft, kommt er aus dem Grüßen nicht heraus. Herr Goldstein, der langjährige Vorsitzende der jüdischen Gemeinde, will wissen, wie es ihm gehe, und warum er so schlecht aussehe. Vom anderen Ende der Straße winkt Herr Letica, ein Publizist, der in Kroatien einmal Staatspräsident werden wollte. Wenn Peratovic von wichtigen Leuten so freundlich gegrüßt wird, dann auch aus scheuem Respekt. Bei Zeljko kann man nie wissen. Wer ihn einmal getroffen hat, hat schnell heraus, dass der Mann bei nationalistischen Mystifizierungen nicht mitmacht. Sturheit und Eigensinn treiben seine Recherchen, taktische Allianzen sind dem Manne fremd.

Karriere macht man mit einem solchen Charakter nicht – auch keine Journalistenkarriere. Beim Magazin Globus wurde er irgendwann entlassen. Seit vier Jahren ist Peratovic arbeitslos und passt auf die fünfjährige Tochter auf, während seine kranke Frau meistens in der Schweiz weilt.

Und er bloggt. Statt wohlfeiler Attacken auf die Szene der nationalen Dunkelmänner findet man unter peratovic.net und peratovic.blog.hr Geschichten, die man sonst nirgends liest. Die meisten drehen sich um die fragwürdigen Netzwerke, auch die des “anderen”, des guten Kroatien. Was für eine Freundschaft zum Beispiel verband den liberalen Staatspräsidenten mit dem zwielichtigen Verleger Pukanic, der im letzten Herbst Opfer eines Mordanschlags wurde? Und was verband diesen so herzlich mit einem inzwischen einsitzenden Mafioso? Das sind einstweilen nur Fragen. Auf dem Peratovic-Blog wird aber rasch ein richtiges Netzwerk daraus – nicht durch vorschnelle Behauptungen, dafür ist der gelernte Journalist zu vorsichtig, sondern einfach durch die Fülle der Fragen und Details. Die zentrale Rolle in den langen, ausführlichen Geschichten auf Peratovics Website spielt immer wieder ein Mann: Tomislav Karamarko, 50.

Der gehört in Kroatien eigentlich zu den Guten. Als der vormalige Polizeichef und Geheimdienstler im letzten Herbst nach einer erschütternden Serie von Mafiamorden zum Innen- und damit Polizeiminister berufen wurde, gab es viel liberalen Applaus. Man kennt Karamarko als nüchtern, präzise, korrekt. Endlich ein Fachmann im Amt, jubelten die Blätter – auch wenn das nicht ganz stimmte. Er entstammt dem engeren politischen Umfeld des heutigen Staatspräsidenten Mesic, mit ihm hatte das demokratische Zagreb einen der Seinen in einer echten Machtposition.

Zeljko Peratovic aber fragte sich, was dieser hohe Polizist eigentlich damals, als sein Freund in die Luft gesprengt wurde, zur Aufklärung getan hat. Er leuchtete in seinem Blog die Geschäfte jener Sicherheitsfirma aus, die Karamarko zeitweilig betrieben hatte: Wen hatte er eigentlich geschützt? Wer waren die Miteigentümer? Als Karamarko Geheimdienstchef war, klingelte es bei Peratovic schon einmal an der Tür: “Verdacht auf Geheimnisverrat”. Ein Trupp von acht Polizisten durchsuchte die bescheidene Wohnung, griff sich die Laptops, beschlagnahmte die gesamte Dokumentation und nahm Peratovic mit zum Verhör. Im Jahr darauf zeigte der Geheimdienstchef den Blogger persönlich an – wegen “Ausstreuens von bekanntermaßen falschen Gerüchten mit dem Ziel, eine größere Zahl Bürger zu beunruhigen”.

Als die Anzeige zur Verhandlung kam, war Karamarko schon Minister und führte vor Gericht als “beunruhigte Bürger” seine weitere Verwandtschaft auf. Die Justiz vergrub das noch immer offene Verfahren in den Tiefen des Gerichtswesens. Als es jetzt wieder an der Tür klingelte und ein Polizist ihm mit der anonymen Anzeige wegen Kindesmissbrauch kam, witterte Peratovic wieder den Dienstherrn dahinter – auch wenn er das so nicht sagt. Die Grenze zwischen Kafka und Paranoia ist auch für Enthüllungsjournalisten nicht leicht zu ziehen.

Was also bedeutet die Aktion: Angriff eines Mächtigen auf einen Machtlosen? Oder wehrt sich hier ein honoriger Mann gegen üble Nachrede? Das Problem ist nicht bloß ein kroatisches.

Arbeit ohne Rückendeckung

“Zwischen Zeitungen und Politikern herrscht ein etabliertes System von Geben und Nehmen”, sagt Markus Beckedahl, Betreiber der deutschen Website netzpolitik.de. “Auf Angriffe aus dem Blog reagiert die Politik dagegen zuweilen übertrieben”, meint der Blogging-Forscher. Für Zeitungsartikel, auch von freien Journalisten, ist immer ein angestellter Redakteur verantwortlich, und der hat einen Verlag und eine Redaktion hinter sich. Ein Blogger dagegen, der sich an die Politik wagt, spielt Eishockey ohne Helm und Knieschützer.

In Kroatien kommt hinzu, dass nicht einmal die Regeln zwischen Politik und Presse klar sind. Gegendarstellungen, selbst Strafanzeigen sind an der Tagesordnung, und einflussreiche Blätter streuen immer so viele Gerüchte aus, wie sie glauben sich leisten zu können. Blogger können sich gar nichts leisten. Im Vorjahr musste ein Mann aus Vukovar sogar ins Gefängnis: Der Bürgermeister hatte sich von ihm beleidigt gefühlt. Auch Politiker tun, was sie sich leisten können – und das ist relativ viel.

Solidarität genießt Zeljko Peratovic wenig. Das wundert nicht, denn in seinen Netzwerk-Geschichten tauchen auch schon mal die Namen von Journalistenkollegen auf, die dann nicht dazu neigen, ihn auch noch zu verteidigen. Aus dem Verband investigativer Journalisten ist Peratovic ausgetreten. Dessen Vorsitzende Renata Ivanovic ist von der Attacke gegen ihren Ex-Kollegen trotzdem alarmiert. “Im vorliegenden Fall ist Zeljko sicher das Opfer”, sagt die Wirtschaftsjournalistin. Allerdings sei investigativer Journalismus, wie der Fall zeige, etwas für Teams und nichts für Einzelne: “Ohne gute Logistik keine Enthüllungen.” Das wenigstens hat Zeljko Peratovic hieb- und stichfest bewiesen.

Norbert Mappes-Niediek, Berliner Zeitung, 28. August, 2009.

Wenn der Polizeiminister grüßen lässt

Nach seinen Enthüllungen über Kriegsverbrechen verlor der prominente kroatische Journalist Željko Peratović seinen Arbeitsplatz
Jetzt durchleuchtet er als Blogger dubiose Netzwerke – und erhält Polizeibesuch.

“Wir haben hier eine Anzeige gegen Sie”, sagte der freundliche Polizist an der Haustür. “Sie sollen Ihr Kind unsittlich angefasst haben.” Željko Peratović hat vom Krieg berichtet. Später wurde sein wichtigster Informant, ein guter Freund zudem, in die Luft gesprengt. Aber der schlimmste Horror war der Moment, als er an seiner Haustür in Zagreb dem freundlichen Polizisten ins Auge sah. Denn den Krieg und den Mord an seinem Freund erlebte der heute 42-Jährige noch als Journalist. Als die Polizei bei ihm klingelte, war er nur noch Blogger. Ein Unterschied, der sehr wichtig werden kann.

Željko Peratović ist in Kroatien nicht irgendwer. Er war der Mann, der das Massaker von Gospić publik gemacht hat. Noch als Reporter der Wochenzeitung Globus schrieb er über die Gräueltaten in der beschaulichen kroatischen Kleinstadt, wo 1991, zu Beginn des Krieges, reihenweise Serben aus ihren Häusern geholt und im Wald erschossen wurden. Nicht alle Kroaten mochten zu den Verbrechen schweigen. “Ich bin nicht in den Krieg gezogen, um Omas umzubringen” , sagte sich ein kroatischer Soldat und wurde zum Kronzeugen. Peratović freundete sich mit dem mutigen Aussteiger an. Aber noch bevor der Soldat aussagen konnte, tötete ihn im August 2000 eine Autobombe.
Peratović aber wurde bei Globus entlassen. Seit vier Jahren ist er nun arbeitslos und passt auf die fünfjährige Tochter auf, während seine kranke Frau meistens in der Schweiz weilt. Und bloggt.

Željko Peratović (re.) auf einem Archivfoto mit dem früheren kroatischen Regierungschef Josip Manolić, der im Prozess um die Kriegsverbrechen von Gospić als Zeuge der Anklage aussagte.

Die zentrale Rolle in den langen Geschichten auf Peratovićs Website spielt immer wieder ein Mann: Tomislav Karamarko. Der gehört in Kroatien eigentlich zu den “good guys” . Als der heute 50-Jährige im letzten Herbst nach einer erschütternden Serie von Mafiamorden zum Innen- und damit Polizeiminister berufen wurde, gab es viel liberalen Applaus.

Peratović aber fragte sich, was der hohe Polizist eigentlich getan hatte, als seinerzeit sein Freund in die Luft gesprengt wurde. Er leuchtete in seinem Blog die Geschäfte der Sicherheitsfirma aus, die der Hoffnungsträger zeitweilig betrieben hatte: Wen hatte er da geschützt? Wer waren die Miteigentümer? Noch als Karamarko Geheimdienstchef war, klingelte es bei Peratović schon einmal an der Tür: “Verdacht auf Geheimnisverrat.” Ein Trupp von acht Polizisten durchsuchte die bescheidene Wohnung, griff sich die Laptops, beschlagnahmte die gesamte Dokumentation und nahm Peratović mit zum Verhör. Im Jahr darauf zeigte der Geheimdienstchef den Blogger persönlich an – wegen “Ausstreuens von bekanntermaßen falschen Gerüchten mit dem Ziel, eine größere Zahl Bürger zu beunruhigen” . Als die Anzeige zur Verhandlung kam, war Karamarko schon Minister und führte vor Gericht als “beunruhigte Bürger” seine weitere Verwandtschaft an. Die Justiz vergrub das noch immer offene Verfahren in den Tiefen des Gerichtswesens. Als es jetzt wieder an der Tür klingelte und ein Polizist ihm mit der anonymen Anzeige wegen Kindesmissbrauchs kam, witterte Peratović wieder dessen Dienstherrn dahinter. Auch wenn er das so nicht sagt.

(Norbert Mappes-Niediek aus Zagreb/DER STANDARD, Printausgabe, 6.8.2009)

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:

-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)
…
“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!

“Križar”, 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 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.

  

45 lines, 5 March 2008, Wednesday

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. 

Inoslav Bešker RIMOVANJE , Jutarnji.hr, 25 July 2008, 

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

Post is first itme publish on 45 lines 31.08.2005 at 22:25

Post ist first publish on 45 lines on 31.08.2005. at 01:41

Investigation of German police and judicature for murder of well-known Croatian emigrant Stjepan Djurekovic in 1983. in München, which was organised by Yugoslav secret police, didn’t stop on recent arrest of former Yugo-agent Krunoslav Prates. Vukusic reveales in front of German police these days gave testimony again Boze Vukusic, who did it once, together with president of HSP, Anto Djapic, considering that Djapic’s uncle was also murdered in Germany. Vukusic revealed to us that investigation is on against Josip Perkovic , former chief of Yugoslav Service of state security and former assisstant of Minister of defense, whose son Sasa is today advisor for national security of President Stipe Mesic.

Zvonimir Despot, Večernji list, 31. 08. 2005.

Only several years after celebration in Belgrade’s center of UDBA, Josip Perkovic became the right hand of Croatian Minister of defense, Gojko Susak. On the left in the picture with them is the third man of paralel commanding line, retired general Mate Lausic.