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Subject: <nettime> [Free Press in Croatia!] Statement of the Commitee for "Feral=20
Tribune" Date: Fri, 19 Dec 1997 17:57:00 +0100
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## a message forwarded from 17.12.97
## origin : /APC/MEDIA/ISSUES
## original sender: SMILOSEVIC@SOROSZG.ztn.apc.org

_________________________ Forward Header _________________________


Committee for Feral Tribune
Hebrangova 21, 10 000 Zagreb
Tel:  385 1 48 56 456
Fax: 385 1 48 56 459
Zagreb, 17/12/1997


Dear colleagues,

On 22 December a new trial was scheduled for Viktor Ivancic, the=20
editor-in-chief of the independent weekly Feral Tribune and Marinko=20
Culic, the commentator.

Feral Tribune is the most critical magazine in Croatia and due to its=20
uncompromising criticism of the Franjo Tudjman=C6s authoritarian regime=20
is under the constant pressure of the authorities - its editors and=20
journalists have repeateadly been submitted by anonimous death threats,=20
public demonisation, special taxes, series of court cases, etc.

In 1996 Viktor Ivancic i Marinko Culic were accused of causing=20
damage to the "honour and reputation of the President of the Republic".
The cause was the introduction in the part of the paper "Glede i unatoc"
(In relation and in spite of), the satiric image entitled "Jasenovac -
Croatia=C6s biggest town under ground" and article "Bones in a mixer"
published in issue number 554/96. By the ruling of the Municipal Court=20
in Zagreb they were acquitted on 25 September 1996.=20

After the appeal of the state attorney, the Zagreb County Court=20
revoked the acquittal on 29 April 1997 and the process is now being=20
renewed.=20

The charges and court procedure that followed were the cause for=20
the establishment of the "Committee for Feral Tribune" in 1996. The
committee is chaired by the American essayist Susan Sontag and its=20
members include NGOs from Croatia as well as associations from=20
abroad. The point of this ad hoc coalition is to give the greatest possible=
=20
support to Feral Tribune journalists and show them they are not alone in=20
their battle with the politically dependent legal system.
The Committee for Feral Tribune appeals once again, that we all=20
oppose the practice of criminalising critical thought in Croatia.
The following pages contain the draft of the letter of protest to=20
President Franjo Tudjman.  I kindly ask you to look through and if you=20
agree with its content to send it to the following address:=20

 President of the Republic of Croatia dr. Franjo Tudjman
            Pantovcak 241, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
            Fax: 385 1 4565 - 208=20

We would also like to ask you to warn international bodies, the=20
public and authorities in your respective countries, as well as its=20
representatives in Croatia that this trial represents the continuation of=
=20
repression of the freedom of press in Croatia.

The Committee has the complete documentation on the "Feral
Tribune" case which includes incriminated articles, charges, defense,
court rulings, monitoring files, legal regulations, in English and Croatian=
=20
that it can be forwarded to you.


Members of the Committee for Feral Tribune:

Antiwar Campaign - Zagreb,=20
Ariadna, Women Workshop - Zagreb
Association for Peace and Human Rights - Baranja,
Association for Human Rights and Citizens Freedom "HOMO" - Pula,
Association for Human Rights, Peace and Non-violence - Daruvar,
Centre for education and Counceling of Woman, CESI - Zagreb,
Autonomus Women House - Zagreb,
Centre for Peace, Non-violence and Human Rights - Osijek,=20
Centre for the Promotion of Human Rights - "Magna Carta" - Zagreb,
Centre for Peace and Non-violence - Karlovac,
Centre for Women Wictims of  War - Zagreb,
Civic Committee for Human Rights - Zagreb, Porec,=20
Croatian Association of Journalists - Zagreb,
Committees for Human Rights - Pakrac, Zagreb, Karlovac, Umag, Rijeka,=20
Committee for Human Rights of  the Serb Association Rijeka - Rijeka,=20
Dalmatian Committee of  Solidarity - Split, Knin,
Group for Direct Protection of  Human Rights - Zagreb,
Group for Woman Human Rights B.a.B.e. - Zagreb,=20
Independent Initiative of  Students of  the Law - Rijeka
Peace & Humanitarian Movement "Sunflower" - Rijeka,
Serb Democratic Forum - Zagreb,
Student Union - Zagreb
Transition to Democracy - Zagreb,
Woman Infoteka- Zagreb,
Woman Club - Pakrac,

Article XIX - London,=20
Committee to Protect Journalists - CPJ, New York,
Institute for War and Peace Reporting - London
International Federation of Journalists - IFJ, Brussels,
International Press Institute - Vienna,
Press Now - Amsterdam,=20
Reporters sans frontiers - Paris,=20
World Association of  Newspapers - Paris


Letter of protest to the president of the Republic of Croatia,=20
Franjo Tudjman



Dear Mr. Tudjman,

It has come to our attention that on 22 December judicial=20
proceedings against Viktor Ivancic, the editor-in-chief of the weekly=20
"Feral Tribune" and its commentator Marinko Culic will be continued in
the Municipal court in Zagreb.
In their articles, published in Feral Tribune in 1996, Ivancic and=20
Culic critically assessed you repeated proposals for the joint burial of=20
victims of fascism and members of the fascist military formations and the=
=20
re-assignment of the anti-fascist memorial "Jasenovac".
The legal basis of this process are annexes to the 1996 Penal Code,=20
articles 71-77, which according to the analyses of the Croatian and=20
foreign law experts as well as many non-governmental organisations,=20
criminalises critical thought, at the same time putting the five highest=20
state officials of the Republic of Croatia in a favourable position in=20
relation to other citizens of the Republic of Croatia. According to this=20
law, this process would not have been initiated without your consent.
We consider this as a politically motivated process which continues=20
the practice of disabling freedom of expression in the Republic of=20
Croatia.
We think that this process violates principles established in the=20
United Nations Declaration on Human Rights, the International Charter=20
on Civic and Human Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights=20
and Basic Freedoms as well as the Constitution of the Republic of=20
Croatia. This is why we ask you to withhold your consent for the=20
continuation of these proceedings.=20
We would also like to inform you that we will bring this matter to=20
the attention of representatives of the international community accredited=
=20
in Croatia, as well as the international public and will ask them to=20
influence the authorities in the Republic of Croatia to stop with the=20
persecution of dissenters.=20
   =20

Members of the Committee for Feral Tribune:


=20
Antiwar Campaign - Zagreb,=20
Ariadna, Women Workshop - Zagreb
Association for Peace and Human Rights - Baranja,
Association for Human Rights and Citizens Freedom "HOMO" - Pula,
Association for Human Rights, Peace and Non-violence - Daruvar,
Centre for education and Counceling of Woman, CESI - Zagreb,
Autonomus Women House - Zagreb,
Centre for Peace, Non-violence and Human Rights - Osijek,=20
Centre for the Promotion of Human Rights - "Magna Carta" - Zagreb,
Centre for Peace and Non-violence - Karlovac,
Centre for Women Wictims of  War - Zagreb,
Civic Committee for Human Rights - Zagreb, Porec,=20
Croatian Association of Journalists - Zagreb,
Committees for Human Rights - Pakrac, Zagreb, Karlovac, Umag, Rijeka,=20
Committee for Human Rights of  the Serb Association Rijeka - Rijeka,=20
Dalmatian Committee of  Solidarity - Split, Knin,
Group for Direct Protection of  Human Rights - Zagreb,
Group for Woman Human Rights B.a.B.e. - Zagreb,=20
Independent Initiative of  Students of  the Law - Rijeka
Peace & Humanitarian Movement "Sunflower" - Rijeka,
Serb Democratic Forum - Zagreb,
Transition to Democracy - Zagreb,
Woman Infoteka- Zagreb,
Woman Club - Pakrac,

Article XIX - London,=20
Committee to Protect Journalists - CPJ, New York,
Institute for War and Peace Reporting - London
International Federation of Journalists - IFJ, Brussels,
International Press Institute - Vienna,
Press Now - Amsterdam,=20
Reporters sans frontiers - Paris,=20
World Association of  Newspapers - Paris

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