Government of the Republic of Croatia
Trg svetog Marka 2
10 000 Zagreb
To the attention of: Dr Ivo Sanader, the Prime Minister
Dear Sir,
I am passing this civil petition on to you regarding the conduct of the Security and Intelligence Agency (SOA). The petition has also been forwarded to the Committee for Internal Politics and National Security and the Council for Civil Supervision of Intelligence Agencies. I would appreciate if you also, in accordance with your statutory authorities, joined in the stopping of a years-long SOA persecution that I have been exposed to. I am willing to inform international officials and the proper journalists associations and associations for civil rights protection, which are of vital Croatian national interests, on the results of your engagement and parliamentary investigation.
Yours faithfully,
Freelance journalist and blogger
Željko Peratović
Zvonigradska 33
10 000 Zagreb
Zagreb, 14 March, 2008.

Croatian Parliament
Trg Svetog Marka 6
10 000 Zagreb
Council for Civil Supervision of Security-Intelligence Agencies
Mile Ćulumović, the presidentParliamentary Committee for Internal Politics and National Security
Ranko Ostojić, the president

Subject: CIVIL PETITION AGAINST SOA CONDUCT

Dear Sir, my name is Željko Peratović. I am a freelance journalist and blogger from Zagreb. I am addressing you so that you, in accordance with your statutory obligations, take necessary actions regarding the protection of my basic human and professional rights and freedoms, Pursuant to Article 38 of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia. Following the conducted parliamentary investigation, in 2005 the Council and the Committee jointly concluded that «there is a reasonable doubt that POA (Counter-Intelligence Agency) violated those rights». The same have been systematically violated to date by SOA, a POA legal successor.

As you have probably learnt from the media, on 17 October, 2007, criminal investigators from the Zagreb Police Department searched my under-age daughter’s flat in which I live. I was arrested under the suspicion of disclosing (publishing) state and military secrets.

Besides DORH unofficial statements claiming that my arrest was the result of « a nonsense in the police» and president Stjepan Mesić saying that it was the police case so he did not want to declare himself since the police is not in his competence, I have been claiming from the start that the intimidation my family and I have been exposed to was initiated, supervised and mostly conducted by SOA.
Apart from indications and information I have personally received as the confirmation of the above mentioned, last week the following Internet sites:
http://cnn.blog.hr/2008/03/1624367674/soa-zeljko-peratovic-drzavni-je-neprijatelj-broj-jedan.html and http://pollitika.com/soa-zeljko-peratovic-drzavni-je-neprijatelj-broj-jedan,
published an article with the SOA accompanying documents, which, if authentic, confirm my suspicions I was stating regarding the role SOA had in the violation of my human and professional rights and freedoms.
Therefore, I request from the already mentioned Council and Committee to set up a joint commission that will verify the authenticity of documents published in the afore mentioned blog addresses, or, to be more accurate, located in the following hosting addresses:
http://img410.imageshack.us/my.php?image=str1kz9.gif ,
http://img151.imageshack.us/my.php?image=str2am3.gif i http://www.divshare.com/download/3945111-7c5 and establish whether SOA has violated my, as well as the rights and freedoms of the other «suspects» who have been said to comment on 45 lines: Željko Bagić, Romano Bolković and Vjekoslav Brajović, and, accordingly, ask for the responsibility (including criminal liability) of the competent ones or establish that my objections have been unfounded.

The published documents point to SOA’s repeated and multi-type breaking the law. Besides being suspected of disclosing already released state and military secrets, which is a precedent as well as nonsense in the past repressive practice of the young Croatian country, I have also been incriminated by an accusation that I «was jeopardizing the safety of SOA employees by making their names and positions known». That is nothing but a doubt used to divert attention from the fact that I only mentioned the SOA employees’ identity in the context of articles on nepotism and corruption in the process of reorganization of the security-intelligence system and the personnel policy of Tomislav Karamarko, the SOA director. It is also one of Tomislav Karamarko’s personal motives for insisting on breaking the law and violation of my rights and freedoms.

The document titled « The analysis of the article/commentary background on blog 45 lines» clearly shows that SOA has continued to vilify me with its «interventions on blog», and even to suspect me of contributing to the Milan Levar, a witness to war crimes in Gospić, murder. On many occasions, I wrote and stated that Tomislav Karamarko, the current SOA director, who was the head of UNS (Office for National Security) at the time and after the murder of Milan Levar, participated in the obstruction of preliminary investigation activities connected to the mentioned murder. I hold that the «SOA intervention» on my blog saying that «I disclosed Milan Levar’s movement to suspects» is a direct pressure that SOA exerted on me in order to keep quiet as a potential witness in the investigation of Milan Levar’s murder. The comparison of the alleged SOA document and «SOA intervention» on 45 lines can be seen on the website:

http://peratovic.blog.hr/2008/03/1624374633/koga-bloga-soa.html.

Update, 16. 04. 2008:Amnesty International is particularly concerned about the slow pace of prosecutions for war crimes in Croatia and the apparent ethnic bias of investigations, most involving only Croatian Serb perpetrators. The organization is also worried about harassment and intimidation of victims and witnesses, as well as journalists reporting on war crimes. Croatian authorities have not made accountability for war crimes a clear political priority. The EU has a responsibility within the accession process to demand that they do so.

While in Brussels, Irene Khan will also introduce the screening of an Amnesty International film documenting impunity for war crimes in Croatia and address the European Policy Centre on EU asylum policies in the context of security.Amnesty.org, 15. 04. 2008

Parts of AI’s documentary: “Croatia: A Wall Of Silence” about cases Gospić, Levar and Peratović. Full video you must see under link. 

I have indirect information that SOA was illegally involved in the police procedures regarding my case. According to some sources close to SOA, Tomislav Milčić, the chief of staff, was personally appointed by Tomislav Karamarko to run the operation «45 lines». He was allegedly involved in the illegal search of my personal things, during which my digital camera’s memory card on which a part of the interview with the former agent of the Yugoslav secret agency SID, Josip Majerski, was destroyed (see http://peratovic.blog.hr/2008/01/1623938621/ipak-me-policija-naljutila-obracam-se-hhou.html).

According to my sources, Tomislav Milčić does not have proper qualifications needed for the job position to which he was appointed by Tomislav Karamarko, the SOA director. There is publicly available information according to which the German administration of justice, at some time, expressed its disapproval with the SOA employee, Tomislav Milčić, taking part in the Croatian authorities’ noncooperation regarding international legal help in the case of Krunoslav Prates being on trial as an accessory to the murder of emigrant Stjepan Đureković. These days, one of the German judges said that he would turn the Republic of Croatia to competent EU institutions on charges of the above mentioned noncooperation. Therefore, judging by this example of the head of staff in SOA, it is obvious that not only SOA statements, claiming that my articles are directed against national interests – accession of Croatia to the Euro-Atlantic integrations, are unfounded but, on the contrary. It is SOA conduct which is directed against accession of Croatia to the Euro-Atlantic Integrations.

There is a reasonable doubt that in my case, it is sources from SOA who were leaking information to the media. For better understanding, please check on the articles in Slobodna Dalmacija -
http://arhiv.slobodnadalmacija.hr/20071020/novosti02.asp and Nacional – http://www.nacional.hr/articles/view/39138/.

Therefore, I would like the addressees to carry out the parliamentary investigation into this case as soon as possible. Due to SOA illegal conduct, besides the above mentioned rights and freedoms pursuant to Article 38 of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia, I have also been denied the right to work and I am afraid for my family and my physical existence in Croatia. I suggest the following to be summoned as potential witnesses:
1. Željko Peratović
2. Tomislav Karamarko
3. Josip Buljević
4. Tomislav Milčić
5. Romano Bolković
6. Željko Bagić
7. Vjekoslav Brajović
8. Jasna Babić
9. Berislav Jelinić

Due to multiple conflicts of interest which I am willing to explain in detail during the parliamentary hearing, it is my recommendation to prevent Mr Tomislav Matijević, the Committee secretary, of having any contact with the information of this petition.

Yours faithfully,

Freelance journalist and blogger

Željko Peratović

Zvonigradska 33

10 000 Zagreb

Note: I have informed the Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia, the Government of the Republic of Croatia, CHC and CJA about this petition.

Harassment of Croatian reporter raises concernsEuropean Diary: The men in leather jackets came at 7am in the morning with pistols strapped to their backs. They confiscated four computers, a mobile phone, contact books and hundreds of documents belonging to the Croatian investigative journalist Zeljko Peratovic, writes Jamie Smyth

“They told my four-year-old daughter and my wife not to move and took everything from 15 years of investigative work – documents, cassettes and CDs,” says Peratovic, who spent the night in prison before being released earlier this month. Peratovic was detained on suspicion of disclosing state secrets on his internet blog, in a move demanded by both the head of the secret service and the office of the public prosecutor. His detention, which has taken place ahead of a general election scheduled for November 25th, has prompted public concerns over press freedom in Croatia, a country that wants to join the EU in 2009. The international journalist association Reporters Without Borders strongly condemned the arrest, which it said related to posts on the reporter’s blog.

Peratovic, who received a press freedom prize from the Austrian section of Reporters Without Borders in 2003, is best known for his reporting on the death of Milan Levar, a witness for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Levar was killed by a car bomb in 2000 in Gospic, a town in southwest Croatia. Since then Peratovic has struggled to persuade mainstream newspapers in Croatia to accept his articles. He also alleges regular harassment by the Croatian secret service. “I think they arrested me for revenge and to try and find out who my informants are in the state services and the media,” Peratovic told The Irish Times. “The secret service has been bugging my phone, opening letters and following me because of my work, which has revealed links between top politicians and crimes in the 1990s.”

The reaction to the arrest from the public and from journalism associations has prompted Croatian prime minister Ivo Sanader to order an inquiry into the affair. It has also raised fears that Croatia’s past could re-emerge to damage its EU prospects. State harassment of journalists was common during the 1990s when Croatia was ruled with an iron grip by authoritarian president Franjo Tudjman. But in recent years the government led by Sanader has implemented several legislative reforms meant to guarantee freedom of the press. Indeed, last December the Organisation for Security and Co-operation (OSCE) in Europe ruled that enough progress had been made to enable it to conclude its work on press freedom.

“Political, but also commercial pressure on media will probably continue in Croatia, yet the mission believes that media institutions and the civil society sector have reached the point where they can assume the watchdog and advisory role,” says the OSCE’s Ljerka Drazenovic. “The fact that reactions from the media, media associations and civil society circles were so prompt and loud [ about Peratovic], tell that public awareness of protecting this democratic value is high. It is per se a good sign, indicating the achieved level of media freedom in Croatia will be preserved.” Under OSCE standards journalists should not be responsible for protecting state secrets or held accountable for publishing classified information. Only the officials who have a specific legal duty to maintain confidentiality may be held liable if they allow disclosures, says Drazenovic.

Just one important law on press freedom remains to be put in place in Croatia – legislation on the state Croatian Radio and Television network. This was put on hold until after the election because of political sensitivities. The government also needs to follow through on plans to set up a media council, says the OSCE. But new laws do not always change practice, and state control over some media is a real issue, says Ivan Butkovic, of the Croatian Association of Radio and Newspapers.

“Big media firms can resist political and commercial pressure, but at a local level there are issues in Croatia. For example 60 per cent of local radio stations are owned by local authorities. This means local politicians wield great influence,” he says. Josip Kregar, dean of the faculty of law at the University of Zagreb, agrees that control over local radio either by local politicians or entrepreneurs often gives them huge sway in local communities. He also highlights the growing commercial pressure on the media exerted by big companies, which can use advertising to control it. But he says the controversy over the arrest of Peratovic probably reflects problems with the Croatian secret service rather than political influence over the media. “There is freedom of the press in Croatia, but the secret service is not yet fully under political control,” says Kregar. “It is not one case with a journalist, but it is about a conspiracy network behind the secret service.” He points out that political oversight of the secret service will be critical when the EU comes to judge Croatia’s readiness to join. Peratovic, who is pledging to continue working as an investigate reporter in Croatia, gives his own assessment of Croatia’s readiness to join the 27-member club.

“With things like this happening to journalists how can we join the EU?” he asks.

The Irish Times, Dublin, Tuesday, October 30, 2007

18.10.07: Kroatien ROG-Preisträger Zeljko Peratovic in Kroatien verhaftet

Investigativer Journalist wird der „Preisgabe von Staatsgeheimnissen“ beschuldigt

Reporter ohne Grenzen Österreich ist in großer Sorge um den kroatischen Journalisten Zeljko Peratovic, der gestern Abend in Kroatien verhaftet wurde. Peratovic wurde 2003 für seinen investigativen Beitrag zur Aufarbeitung der kroatischen Kriegsverbrechen von ROG Österreich mit dem „Press Freedom Award“ ausgezeichnet.

Wie Peratovics Ehefrau ROG mitteilte, kam es gestern früh zunächst zu einer siebenstündigen Hausdurchsuchung, bei der auch drei Laptops, ein PC und schriftliche Unterlagen des Journalisten beschlagnahmt wurden. Peratovic wird vorgeworfen, in seinem Blog Staatsgeheimnisse preisgegeben zu haben.

Konkret soll es um einen Eintrag gehen, in dem auf eine für heute Abend (18.10., 20:10 h) geplante Sendung des kroatischen Staatsfernsehens namens “Brisani Prostor” hingewiesen wird. In der Sendung soll ein Interview mit Fatima Skula gezeigt werden, die als Zeugin des Internationalen Kriegsverbechertribunals in Den Haag über Kriegsverbrechen an Serben in der norddalmatischen Kleinstadtz Gospic berichtet hatte. Peratovic schreibt in seinem Eintrag: „Diese Sendung enthält authentische Aussagen über die Ereignisse in Gospic. Hauptverdächtige sind der verstorbene Verteidigungsminister Gojko Susak und der der HDZ-Sopitzenkandidat für die kroatischen Parlamentswahlen am 25. November, Ex-Vizepräsident Darko Milinovic (HDZ).

Was von dem gesamten Gespräch auch ausgestrahlt wird, werden wir am Donnerstag Abend wissen.“ Nach der Durchsuchung wurde Peratovic auf die Polizeiwache mitgenommen, wo er sechs Stunden lang in einem „informellen Gespräch“ befragt wurde. Der Journalist wartet nun auf die Einvernahme durch den Staatsanwalt, der entscheidet, ob Peratovic bis zu einem möglichen Gerichtsverfahren weiter in U-Haft bleiben muss. Die Höchststrafe für den Verrat von Staatsgeheimnissen beträgt drei Jahre Haft. Der 1966 geborene Journalist hatte bereits in den 90er-Jahren in den Wochenzeitungen Nacional und Globus über die Kriegsverbrechen in Gospic berichtet – zu einer Zeit, als 80 % der Kroaten der Meinung waren, dass die „eigene Seite“ keinerlei Kriegsverbrechen begangen hätte.

Peratovic war auch selbst Zeuge des Internationalen Kriegsverbrechertribunals für das ehemalige Jugoslawien. Einer seiner Informanten, ein Augenzeuge der Verbrechen und ebenfalls Zeuge des Tribunals, wurde später ermordet. Peratovic wurde wegen seiner Artikel immer wieder des „nationalen Verrats“ bezichtigt. 2003 wurde er von Extremisten bedroht und belästigt, einmal wurde er auf offener Straße von einem nicht verurteilten Kriegsverbrecher körperlich attackiert. Seine Frau und seine kleine Tochter zogen daraufhin aus Sicherheitsgründen in die Schweiz. Von seinem Arbeitgeber, der kroatischen Zeitung Vjesnik, wurde Peratovic im August 2005 fristlos entlassen. Offiziell wurde dieser Schritt damit begründet, dass er ein Interview für die Wochenzeitschrift Feral Tribune gemacht und veröffentlicht hatte, wozu er seinem Vertrag gemäß nicht berechtigt war.

Peratovic zog daraufhin zu seiner Familie in die Schweiz. Zu der gestrigen Verhaftung kam es im Zuge einer Kroatien-Reise der Familie. Peratovic hatte sich schon im Dezember 2006 an Reporter ohne Grenzen gewandt und dargelegt, dass er sich durch den kroatischen Geheimdienst verfolgt fühle und guten Grund zur Annahme habe, dass sein Telefon abgehört werde. Erst am 8. Oktober hatte er erneut in seinem Blog gepostet, dass er jüngsten Informationen zufolge wieder verstärkt durch den kroatischen Geheimdienst überwacht wird.

ROG, Presse / Aktuelle News

Giornalismo croato ancora sotto attacco

Il recente arresto del giornalista Zeljko Peratovic, sospettato di aver scoperto presunti segreti di stato poi pubblicati sul suo blog, ha riportato all’attenzione la libertŕ di stampa in Croazia.

Dura la reazione dell’Ordine dei giornalisti croati In Croazia l’arresto del giornalista indipendente Zeljko Peratovic, sospettato di aver scoperto presunti segreti di stato poi pubblicati sul suo blog, ha scatenato ormai da giorni una bufera che non accenna a placarsi. Questo “avvenimento inammissibile” – tale e stato definito l’arresto del giornalista dal Comitato di Helsinki croato per i diritti umani nella dichiarazione pubblica del 23 ottobre – ha di nuovo messo in primo piano la questione della libertŕ dei media croati, che fino alla fine del 1999, durante il governo dell’ex presidente croato Franjo Tudjman, č sempre stata sotto seria minaccia.

Peratovic, ex giornalista del settimanale politico “Globus” e poi del quotidiano “Vjesnik”, oggi giornale filo-governativo, č stato arrestato mercoledě scorso, dopo che la polizia con mandato di perquisizione del suo appartamento gli ha chiesto la consegna dei computer, dei cd e dell’archivio. Nel pomeriggio dello stesso giorno, la polizia ha fatto irruzione anche nei locali di TV Nova, una delle tre televisioni croate con la licenza nazionale, chiedendo che i tecnici dei computer cancellassero dal blog di Peratovic i due contenuti in questione. Questo perché TV Nova č proprietaria del server sul quale Peratovic aveva il suo blog. Quando giovedě scorso, dopo l’interrogatorio, la polizia lo ha rilasciato, Peratovic ha dichiarato che non gli č chiaro di quali presunti segreti statali si tratti. Uno dei documentati pubblicati sul suo blog “45 lines” si riferiva al pedinamento della polizia, di cui č stato oggetto insieme ad altri cinque giornalisti a causa dei testi su Ante Gotovina, il generale accusato dall’Aja per crimini di guerra e al tempo latitante. Gli altri due documenti sui contatti dei servizi segreti britannici con i servizi segreti croati non ha fatto che prenderli dai testi giŕ pubblicati dal settimanale “Nacional” e dal Hrvatski list. “Questi documenti sono stati pubblicati sui giornali e io li ho soltanto presi e pubblicati sul mio blog”, ha detto Peratovic.

Peratovic si occupava d’indagini scottanti, č il giornalista che ha scritto in modo piů dettagliato su Milan Levar, il testimone dell’Aja assassinato nel 2000. Levar aveva detto ai media quello che sapeva sul conto del generale Mirko Norac (sotto processo a Zagabria insieme al generale Rahim Ademi per crimini di guerra commessi nell’operazione Sacca di Medak) coinvolto nei crimini di Gospic, per i quali e stato condannato a 12 anni di carcere dal Tribunale distrettuale di Rijeka. Levar č stato ucciso in modo misterioso da una bomba davanti alla sua casa di Gospic č il suo assassino non č mai stato identificato.

Peratovic si č occupato anche dei temi della criminalita organizzata e spesso era in contatto anche con informatori del sottobosco croato. Temi dei suoi articoli sono stati il presidente Stjepan Mesic, il premier Ivo Sanader e il capo dei servizi segreti croati Tomislav Karamarko

Peratovic di recente ha pubblicato sul suo blog anche la testimonianza di una tale Fatima Skula che accusa pesantemente il vicepresidente del Parlamento croato Darko Milinovic (membro del partito di governo del premier Sanader, Unione democratica croata, HDZ) perché coinvolto nei crimini di guerra di Gospic.

L’arresto di Peratovic č presto diventato oggetto della campagna elettorale che, a fronte delle elezioni parlamentari in Croazia, fissate per il 25 novembre, si č giŕ infiammata alla grande. Dal Partito socialdemocratico (SDP) all’opposizione, che i sondaggi prevedono vincitore delle prossime elezioni, č giunta la seguente dichiarazione: “Di nuovo gli organi giudiziari, come alla fine degli anni novanta, si sono gettati contro i giornalisti invece di indirizzare la loro attivitŕ verso quelli che dall’interno degli organi statali consegnano i dati classificati ai giornalisti”. “Il mio punto di vista č noto e lo ripeterň di nuovo: io sono per una totale libertŕ dei media e, per quanto riguarda me e il mio governo, non possono esserci restrizioni di alcun tipo. Ovviamente la libertŕ dei media e la libertŕ in generale includono anche la responsabilitŕ di ciň che viene detto e scritto. Nessuno puň prescindere da questa responsabilitŕ, né i politici, né i giornalisti, né nessuno altro, ma io sto sempre dalla parte dei giornalisti”, ha detto Sanader promettendo un’indagine con la quale si accerterŕ in che modo si e giunti all’arresto del giornalista. “Lui [Sanader] e per la liberta dei media ma ama arrestare i giornalisti e a questi arresti e al maltrattamento partecipa anche il ministero diretto dal suo ministro (degli Affari Interni, Ivica Kirin)”, ha replicato a Sanader il capo del SDP, Zoran Milanovic. L’Ordine dei giornalisti croati ha reagito in modo severo all’arresto del loro membro, valutando questo gesto come “un drastico esempio di minaccia alle libertŕ giornalistiche in Croazia e come un’immemorabile pressione contro la liberta dei media e dei giornalisti”. Se sono stati minacciati dei segreti di stato, allora gli inquirenti dovrebbero occuparsi delle persone che passano i segreti e non dei giornalisti che li pubblicano”, fa sapere l’Ordine dei giornalisti croati.

L’editorialista dello “Jutarnji list” di Zagabria, Davor Butkovic afferma che l’arresto di Peratovic sia stato “un errore madornale” e aggiunge che una cosa del genere non accadeva nemmeno al tempo del presidente Franjo Tudjman, noto per il suo modo autoritario di governare e per il suo continuo conflitto con i giornalisti. “Lo Stato non deve arrestare i giornalisti a causa della loro attivita professionale, dunque nemmeno per la pubblicazione dei segreti di stato”, dice Butkovic.

Secondo il comunicato di Freedom House, che valuta lo stato di liberta dei media nel mondo, la Croazia l’anno scorso era al 87-imo posto insieme al Brasile, Timor Est e il Perů. Gli analisti avvertono che l’arresto dei giornalisti, come nel caso di Zeljko Peratovic, non contribuira di certo al miglioramento della gia bassa valutazione della Croazia ottenuta quest’anno.

Osservatorio Balcani, Da Osijek, scrive Drago Hedl, 25.10.2007<

Zeljko Peratovic und Tin Gazivoda, Centrum voor mensenrechten