Posts Tagged ‘Council for the Civilian Supervision of Security Servic’

Civil petition against SOA conduct

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008

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
eljko 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 eljko 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: eljko 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. eljko Peratović
2. Tomislav Karamarko
3. Josip Buljević
4. Tomislav Milčić
5. Romano Bolković
6. eljko 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

eljko 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.

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We support eljko Peratović petition

Thursday, March 20th, 2008

Croatian Journalists Association – News

Croatian Journalists Association press release, March 17, 2008-03-18

We support eljko Peratović petition

The Croatian Journalists Association supports its member eljko Peratović, a freelance journalist and blogger, petition he has sent to the Council for Civil Supervision of Security-Intelligence Agencies and the Croatian Parliaments Committee for Internal Politics and National Security, asking them to protect his human and professional rights and freedoms. These days, an alleged SOA document has been published. If the document is authentic, it follows that the SOA has been incriminating eljko Peratović for his writing. Besides that, another implication is that the SOA has been intervening on blogs using its own comments and enquiring about the identity of those commenting blogs. We appeal to the Council for Civil Supervision of Security-Intelligence Agencies and the Croatian Parliaments Committee to look into the authenticity of the aforementioned document and protect Peratovićs human and professional rights.

Zdenko Duka, president

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In conntact with Gotovina

Sunday, October 9th, 2005
Novi list, Date of publishing: 28.06.2003 Section: News

THE PRESIDENT OF COUNCIL FOR NATIONAL SECURITY OF CROATIAN PARLIAMENT YESTERDAY IN ZADAR BROUGHT OUT THE NEWS ABOUT RUNAWAY GENERAL

Markov: Croatian secret services in conntact with Ante Gotovina

Testimony of former American ambassador, Peter Galbraith on trial of Slobodan Milosevic in Haag, goes in favour of solving this case

ZADAR The press conference of President of HSS (Croatian Peasant party) for Dalmatia, Ante Markov, else the President of Council for national security of Croatian Parliament, was a chance to ask him about newest progress of situation with general Ante Gotovina.

Markov recognized that in whole story about general Gotovina in one way was evaded that very important Parliamentary Council, something like it was in a case at his previous Djurdja Adlesic, who was from one side obstructed from her party colleague and vice president of Government, Goran Granic, mostly in solving the situation inside of intelligence community.
Nevertheless, Markov added:
- The testimony of former American ambassador, Peter Galbraith, on trial of former Yugoslav President, Slobodan Milosevic in Haag, undoubtly goes in favour of solving the Gotovina case. ICTY accepted also President Stjepan Mesic as a partner in all initiatives and I think that progress of situation for general Gotovina is in positive way. In spite of claims of some politicians from former government that all documents were available to the police since 1995., I didn’t see any documents from Brijuni’s congres of military top of the state, which was held exactly before action Oluja and which namely accusing general Gotovina. I’m not in conntact with the general, but I can confirm that are in conntacts Croatian intelligence services, said in brief conversation, after press conference Ante Markov.
- Based on programme which founded City council of HSS, this party definitely goes alone on elections, and expects that on won 15-20 per cent of votes, make a leading role in future ruling coalition!- said Markov. He emphasized that in his statement in favour goes present rating of HSS, but that in preelection campaign will be no talks about past, but about projects for future, without ideological characteristics.

Sinisa KLARICA

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Freedom guaranteed by Constitution

Sunday, April 17th, 2005
Croatian Parliament
Trg Svetog Marka 4
10 000 Zagreb
Committee for human rights and rights of national miorities
President of Committee dr. sc. Furio RadinApplication
Dear Sir,
At the end of last year you noticed me, in the name of above named Committe, that you in my
Memorandum, (about acting of POA), and its additions, sent forward to Council for supervision of safety services and to Committee for national security Office.
I personally informed you that written notification from the Committee, at the end of 2004., when chief of POA already was Tomislav Karamarko, came on my address already opened.
I doubted that POA opened it.

dr. sc. Furio Radin

As you know from medias, in meanwhile, Parliamentary Committee for internal politics and national security and Council for civilian supervision of safety services, investigated quotations from mutual Memorandum of five journalists about treatment of POA.

Based on that investigation, Committee for internal politics and national security have brought 4 conclusions, which partly answers the questions from our mutual Memorandum. Not from the Committee nor from the Council I didn’t get answers on questions from my personal Memorandum. Based on conclusion nr. 3, from Committee for internal politics and national security, in which is, among other, said:

So there is justified doubt that quoating persons who wrote Memorandum (Gordan Malic, Ivica Djikic, Ivanka Toma, Zeljko Peratovic and Marijo Kavain) in Presentation, without any reason, violated their human rights and freedom, guaranteed by Constitution, ( article 38, paragraph 1.,2. and 3 of Constitution of Croatia) because from the collected informations can’t be justified the title and thesis given in Information about intelligence-media manipulations, with goal of discreditation of Croatia and that named journalists, in that sense, participated in actions which would endangered national security;

I will hand over to authorised State attorney suggestion of settlement for allowance for nonmaterial damage which it brought them. If State attorney replies on the suggestion negatively, I will give to the authorised court the sue against Croatia, because of quoted violation of human rights.
Doesn’t matter what Committee for internal politics and national security brought conclusion like that, my journalists rights are still violating, because in newspaper I’m working in Vjesnik, which is formaly owned by government of Croatia, is not possible to write about themes about which I write: intelligence services, organised crime and war crimes. So, I’m almost disabled any writing.
I would remind titled Committee that one of the freedoms which should be respected in countries which applicated for membership in EU, is freedom of speech, that is freedom of informing. So, I’m keeping my right to inform about violating of this freedom, authorised bodies of European institutions, if the relation of management and editorial office of Vjesnik, which are on functions only by will of government of Croatia, remains the same towards me.
I ask this Committee for to investigate the quotations from the Memorandum which I have sent and on which I didn’t get any answers by mentioned conclusions of Committee for internal politics and national security.
The Committee for internal politics and national security says that POA didn’t apply measures of secret collecting of informations, in my case, during 2004. As the control of mail deliveries also is in measures of secret collecting of informations, and I had doubt that POA opened the letter to your Committee, sent at the end of last year, by which I think my privacy of communication is violated, please to especially request from Council for national security Office to manifest about that.
The Committee for internal politics and national security and Council for supervision of safety services didn’t reply on question from our mutual Memorandum, have over us five journalists, been used measures of secret collecting of informations during 2003.
I have sent to the titled Committee Information about background of some journalists’ texts about Gotovina case, dated 16th October 2003., signed by former chief of POA, Franjo Turek, in which is also analysed one of my texts about possible movment of runaway general Gotovina. So, right before Presentation to state top, which the investigation of Committee for internal politics and national security was dealing with, POA characterized my writings as a fruit of influence of domestic intelligence underground and ICTY, which motives was disruption of internal stability of Croatia and its internal position, so endangering national safety. The information ends with note to users: President of Croatia, Stjepan Mesic, secretary of President’s Office, Zeljko Bagic, President’s advisor for national security, Imra Agotic, Premier Ivica Racan, member of government, Goran Granic, main state attorney, Mladen Bajic and President of Parliamentary Committee for internal politics and national security, Ante Markov, that are: That actions and influences of all groups, the subject of further research of POA, and that named ones about collected informations, will be regularlly informed.
Connected with that, can be concluded, that in that time (2003.) I was subject of operative research of POA, which, besides measures of secret collecting of informations, including also collecting informations from citizens and research through registers and data basis.
As some persons, with whom I conntacted at that time, by phone or personaly, were under pressures (Dragutin Franciskovic was publicliy marked as chief of intelligence underground which disinforms Carla Del Ponte about Gotovina and Mario Barisic from Sibenik was threatened with dead), with reason I doubt that POA with that secret collecting of informations supervised my communication with mentioned ones, and put them through mentioned discomforts.
Further, I’m convinced that informations that POA got about me, and for which gethering is not needed approval of Supreme court, but only descision of chief of POA: talks with citizens, insight in registres and data bases, are put in my personal file (collections and registers of personal datas and other records of collected datas and documentes with informations, article 22.paragraph 1. of Safety services law).
Article 23. paragraph 1. of the same Law says that services (POA) must, on request of citizen inform him whether over him are taken measures of collecting of informations, and if in services are records about his personal datas and on his request give him insight in documents about collected informations.
In connection with above, I didn’t turn to POA, but I wanted to consume that right through the Council for civilian supervision of safety services, the Committee for internal politics and national security, public attorney of Croatia and titled Committee, but it was not made possible to me still.
So I request from this Committee to ask from Council for national security Office and from chief of POA, insight in records and registers of personal datas, because I’m convinced that datas and documents which are collected about me by operative research and processings of POA are misusing and that are not destroyed, as it says in article 24. paragraph 1., 2. and 3. of Secret services Law.
If that right is not going to be enabled to me, I will consider that POA is using article 23. of Secret service Law, paragraphs 2. and 3., and what is in contradiction with quoted conclusion 3., of Committee for internal politics and national security, that is not prooven to me disinformationing of public in Gotovina case, that is, that I wasn’t endangering national security. In that case I will ask for Court’s protection against POA.I please once again for urgent actions, and to inform me in soonest time about possible taken actions of titled Committee.
Best regards,
Journalist

Zeljko Peratovic

In Zagreb, 12. april 2005

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Five Croatian journalists in case Gotovina

Sunday, March 20th, 2005
Epilogues of parliamentary investigation of accusations against five Croatian journalists in case Gotovina
The Council for supervision of security services of Parliament, has sent me a letter on 10 of March, in which was said that in their investigation, and marking mutual Preissue (Memorandum) of five journalists, was defined that our human rights were violated reasonlessly. The Council has sent that inference to the Committee for internal politics and national security.
On Thursday 15th, the Committee has draw a conclusion that there was founded doubt that our human rights were violated, but POA (counterintelligence service) didn’ t make any illegal steps. By the Parliamentary report in 2004., POA didn’t secretly supervised Ivica Djikic, Marijo Kavain, Ivanka Toma and Zeljko Peratovic, but by tracking foreign citizens under suspicion of being foreign spies, POA has overheard Gordan Malic. But, Malic is only collateral damage, as in some previous statements said even President Stjepan Mesic.

He said that he had to compare the report he was presented with and the recent media reports stating that some reporters were placed under surveillance by the POA during the term of former POA chief Franjo Turek.

Asked if he believed that reporters were intentionally misinforming the public to obstruct Croatia’s integration with the EU, Mesic said that there was no such plan, but that reporters often presented unverified information.

Mesic’s statement

Nevertheless, the Committee has sent its report to the Office of Council for national security, on which also President Mesic called upon, when he at the end of 2004. asked for resignation of Josko Podbevsek, in case Puljiz, and to principal state attorney Mladen Bajic.
It is still not clear to me why are the reports of investigation has been sent to principal state attorney, if the conclusion was that Turek hasn’ t made any illegal steps. Mladen Bajic has received in 2003. POA’ s report about my disinformations that Gotovina was on vacation on island Kaprije, near Sibenik. Turek was regularlly informing Bajic, also other members in high state functions, about his operative activities in tracking of work of ICTY, right Croatian intelligence undreground, and several of us journalists, about spreading disinformations about Gotovina. POA has sent such kinds of informations to Bajic more than it were in widely known Turek’s presentation to Stjepan Mesic, Ivo Sanader, Vesna Skare Ozbolt and Marijan Mlinaric. Based on that informations, principal state attorney could in 2003. or 2004. conclude, that Turek is illegaly spying on us or that he is violating our human rights, by unsolidly slandering us for being collaborators of foreign secret services, of ICTY and that we are spreading disinformations about Gotovina.
Jarnjak and Karamarko
Ivan Jarnjak, Tomislav Matijevic and Tomislav Karamarko
Except that my human rights were violated, I did’ t get the answers from my Memorandum, did POA at the end of last year opened my letters (the letter of President of Parliamentary Committee for human rights Furio Radin). Why I still have in POA the file which was filled in after 90-ties?
The Parliament did’ t answer me also did POA and Military security service spy on me in 2003., in time of my writings about Gotovina’s habitations in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
If my human rights were violated by Franjo Turek’s statements that I was spreading disinformations that Gotovina was in Croatia, does that mean that Parliament says that my information was right, or only that I had right to write about possible habitations of fugitive general?
Because of lots of other unclearness and feeling that I still did’ t get the satisfaction, with help of attorney I will ask for new oppinions of Parliamentary Council for human rights and Public attorney of Croatia.
I will also prepare statement of claim against UPI and Washington Times, because I have at least the official confirmation that I’ m not the spy of MI-6.
I also plan to sue Republic Croatia for endangering of human rights.
This conclusions of Parliamentary Committee, on whose head is prominent member of ruling party HDZ, Ivan Jarnjak, did not make any better the situation of my human rights. My texts about problem of secret services are still not publishing, situation about Gotovina, investigations about war crimes, organized criminal activity.
So, my writings, from the side of Government of Ivo Sanader, are still considered as disinformations which could damage the interests of Croatia.
I don’ t think that I’m damaging the interests of Croatia if I warn that for entering in EU (which is proclaimed interest of Croatia) is bad because somebody from the government (neverthless if that is Mesic, Sanader, Bajic or Karamarko) submited British non paper with suggestions how disable the net of Gotovina’s helpers.
I think that Carla Del Ponte is right when she says that she gives the informations to the Croatian government about Gotovina and his helpers, and at the same time the informations leak to Gotovina and his net, and end up in medias which support him Nacional and Hrvatski list.
I’ m afraid that investigation about spying and slandering of Croatian journalists will be used only for accusation against Franjo Turek, that he obstructed the work of ICTY.
Ivica Djikic in Feral Tribune, number 1017. warns that agents of Tomislav Karamarko prepare accusing suggestion against Turek, and that accusation should be of use for the government as an evidence for fully cooperation with ICTY (without to detect, arrest and deliver Ante Gotovina). Supposedly, the government believes that with the accusation against Turek will get inclination of Carla Del Ponte and EU and in June or July we might start the negotiations with EU.
If the government concentrates only on sacrifising Franjo Turek, and not do anything to check informations is Gotovina moving in area Middle Dalmatia-Lika (Udbina)-Grahovo-Glamoc-Livno-Western Herzegovina, I think by the summer Carla Del Ponte will have negative oppinion about full cooperation with ICTY.
By my informations, the tactics of waiting for fugitive general to cross from Croatia to Bosnia, after what the Croatian government will inform EUFOR, who will than arrest him in helicopter landing operation, even now appears to be failure.
Gotovina’s lobby retired generals Ante Roso, Markica Rebic, brother Boro Gotovina, Zeljko Dilber, Ante Zoni Maksan and others from his net, stimulate bad mood against the government of Ivo Sanader distribution of posters and leaflets with support to Gotovina, establishing new association of war invalids, which will lead anti ICTY demonstrations…
Boro Gotovina even publicly threats to everybody to suffer adversity if the fovernment set off on his brother.
I don’ t know why public shouldn’ t know that investigation about POA and five journalists was of the most benefit for Tomislav Karamarko, who by its conclusions, gets more and more power in Croatian intelligence community. Government, the President’s Office, and Parliament already unofficialy considering his lawful suggestion to establish again Office for national security, which would control the work of military and civilian agency. Karamarko intends to abolish Intelligence agency (former HIS) and attach it to POA.
On the other side, the investigation about POA, was of benefit for Sasa Perkovic, who at the middle of 2004. had to leave the job of chief’ s assistant of Intelligence agency under pressure of Premier Sanader, and with some of his movements helped to fugitive tycoon Hrvoje Petrac.
When Gordan Malic’s text appeared in Globus that Franjo Turek was accusing Sasa Perkovic and his father Josip Perkovic for cooperating with former chief of police Ranko Ostojic, without waiting the results of Parliamentary investigations, President Mesic appointed Sasa Perkovic for his adviser for national security. Circles close to President’ s office say that Sasa’s father is now known high functionry of Yugoslav secret police (UDB-a) Josip Perkovic, made such influence on President Mesic, that he asked to his son in law Darko Grdic, employed in Croatian mission in NATO, become new chief of Headquarters of military forces of Republic Croatia.
By sources close to government of Ivo Sanader, Josip Perkovic intruted himself for main adviser of Tomislav Karamarko on planning actions of POA, by which should be shown that Croatia is doing all in its power to implement full cooperation with ICTY.
I’ m critical about that scenario because I think that is antilustrational.
Franjo Turek didn’ t commit most of his sins only by his own guilt, but it was order from the politics. Intelligence agents who drew benefit now are not better than him, even they have much bigger professional stains in the past.

Punishing Turek will not get Croatia any closer to Europe, or bring reversal in political manipulations of secret services. On the contrary, this is only another one in the queue of manipulations.

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Gotovina & POA & Journalists

Friday, February 11th, 2005

Overhearing: The affair about tracking five Croatian journalists provokes the attention and stormy reactions even in Committee for journalists protection in New York

Alex Lupis: The affair could slow down the enter of Croatia into EU

Author: Jadranka Juresko-Kero

We are familiar with the newest events about POA (counterintelligence agency) and overhearing of journalists in Croatia. We got the informations that during 2003. and 2004. five journalists were tracked and accused for collaboration with foreign secret services.

After the case of journalist Helena Puljiz, and this new affair, we conclude that some members of political elite still preserve old comunist look on independent journalism, and with their behaviour they confirm that independent journalists are threath, with these words Alexandar Lupis, the counselor for Europe in Committee for journalists protection in New York, has confirmed for Vecernji list that in their American headquarters came official report about problems that Croatian journalists facing with.

Not wanting to uncover with who of this five journalists are in conntact, because they want to protect that person from another discomfort, Lupis said that New York Committee for journalists protection expres sorrow because Croatian government still didn’ t manage to implant democratic standards of behaviour of intelligence service.
Lupis claimed that behaviour like that could have negative affect on process of integration of Croatia in EU.When he was asked to evaluate the grade of journalist freedom in Croatia, Lupis said that his Office thought that the political need of Croatian intelligence services to control independent journalists was a serious problem. Lupis emphasized that the newest affair, like the one with Helena Puljiz, sign that some politicians in Croatia think that journalists and medias should serve only to the state and the ruling party, and not to the readers. About the affair of new overhearing connected with former chief of POA, Franjo Turek, President Stjepan Mesic, said that he saw computor presentation, but there were no names of journalists given in Globus.

But, the change of Turek itself is a proof that security system didn’ t work as it should have, said Mesic.

…

CROATIA: Journalists demand inquiry into alleged abuses by security agency

New York, February 10, 2005

Five independent Croatian journalists filed a petition on Monday requesting that the government investigate allegations that the Counter-Intelligence Agency (POA) tried to discredit them after they reported on sensitive war crimes issues, according to local and international press reports. The journalists called for an inquiry after the February 4 edition of the independent Zagreb weekly magazine Globus published a POA document titled “Information on intelligence-media manipulation,” which accused the journalists of working for foreign security services in order to discredit the government and impede integration with the European Union. According to a March 2004 presentation that POA Director Franjo Turek gave to senior government officials, the agency had conducted surveillance against the journalists in 2003 and 2004 and accused them of espionage after they reported on the government’s failure to arrest war criminals indicted by the Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. The five journalists are: Gordan Malic of Globus; Ivica Djikic of the independent Split weekly magazine Feral Tribune; Marijo Kavain and Ivanka Toma of the independent Zagreb daily Jutarnji List; and Zeljko Peratovic of the Zagreb state daily Vjesnik. The journalists have filed the petition with the Parliament, attorney general, and Council for the Civilian Supervision of Security Services. The council held an initial hearing on the matter yesterday. During the 1990s, the nationalist HDZ government relied on security services to persecute independent journalists. Reformist governments since 2000 have made limited progress in changing the politicized agencies. In October 2004, POA agents threatened and attempted to blackmail independent journalist Helena Puljiz into becoming a POA informant.

…

Croatia: Journalist wiretapped again

The special working group of the Parliamentary Committee for Internal Affairs and National Security is opening an investigation today over Croatian Counter Intelligence service (CIS). The principal cause for the investigation is the recent public address of five journalists who were the subject of secret treatment of the CIS during 2003 and 2004, under the allegation that they have deliberately published wrong information about Hague fugitive general Gotovina in order to obstruct Croatia to enter the European Union. (11-FEB-05)

The special parliamentary working group was formed after five Croatian journalists Gordan Malic, Zeljko Peratovic, Ivanka Toma, Mario Kavain and Ivica Djikic have sent an official request to the Croatian Journalist Association, Civic Committee for the Oversight of the Secret Services, Parliamentary Committees for National Security and Human Rights to examine the allegations from the text published in newsweek magazine Globus, in which the author Gordan Malic claimes that the CIS was conducting a secret operation against the above mentioned journalists, accusing them of media-intelligence operation against Croatia.

Namely, mentioned news article brings a document called Information about media-intelligence manipulation aiming to discredit Croatia which was presented in March 2004 to the President Mesic, Prime Minister Sanader, Minister of the Judiciary Skare-Ozbolt and Minister of the Internal Affairs Mlinaric by Franjo Turek, former director of the CIS. In short, the document of the CIS accuses the journalists for planed and coordinated misinforming, which prevented respective bodies from arresting general Gotovina.
-In my opinion the reason why the authorities in charge didnt react upon the receival of the report from the CIS is because they were only concerned with how the report is going to look like to Carla del Ponte. said Zarko Puhovski, the Chairman of the Croatian Helsinki Committee.

According to the CIS, except from journalists, several higher state officials also participated in the media intelligence operation against Croatia. Judging by the documents published in the media, the CIS permanently wiretaped Ranko Ostojic, the former Head of the Croatian police in charge of arresting general Gotovina and former spokesperson of the Ministry of the Interior Zinka Bardic.

The Civic Committee for Oversight of the Secret Services and the Parliamentary Committee for Internal Affairs and National Security will decide in the coming days whether the secret listening to the above mentioned Croatian citizens was illegal or not. However, the latest affairs related to the work of the CIS, including the Puljiz affair, raised some serious questions about the overall situation of the Secret Services and the way they function in Croatia.

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