Seeing crimes of communism for what they are and getting them prosecuted legally – this was the topic discussed at the conference on the legal settlement of crimes of communism at the EU parliament in Brussels, 5 June.
At the conference, Sandra Kalniete, Chairwoman, Reconcilliation of European Histories Group said:
“Today every school child knows that Nazi was an evil regime. There’s a confusion about communist crimes. We have to raise this issue and deprive it of all the ambiguity. Because if not, then these crimes will be perpetrated again and again.”
Egils Levits, Judge, European Court of Justice, said: “Victims should have experience of not only injustice, now they should experience justice and especially for this reason I think a legal settlement of communist crimes is necessary”.
At the conclusion of the conference an announcement was made that “The Platform of European Memory and Conscience is calling for the creation of a supranational judicial body for the gravest crimes committed by the Communist dictatorships.
The Platform of European Memory and Conscience is founding an international legal expert group to work on a road map for establishing a supranational institution of justice.
The Platform endorses the initiative of the Reconciliation of European Histories group in the European Parliament to give the national archives which harbour information on the crimes of totalitarianism a status of European importance and is calling upon institutions of the European Union and national governments worldwide to support this work”.
The moves within European Union to finally deal with communist crimes, in the way that truly and loudly counts – legally – and not just talk about them, record them or condemn them are, I believe, of crucial benefit for Croatia when it becomes a member of the EU.
Within EU, the bravest sector of Croatian establishment that has for years been obstructed, ridiculed and criticized for attempting to prosecute communist crimes, will gain allies in pursuit of justice for victims of communist crimes.
The situation in Croatia with former communists (the Social Democrats led government and the president of the Republic) is outrageous.
Even at the celebration of Croatian Statehood Day (25 June/ day of independence) this leftist lot had the nerve to lay a wreath at the grave of late Ivica Racan (Chairman League of Communists of Croatia 1989/1990; President Social Democratic Party 1990/2007) who actually protested in Croatian parliament in June 1991 against the proclamation of independence (he and his leftist colleague didn’t want Croatia to become independent but advocated for a new kind of union between seceding Yugoslav republics).
By this act they attempt to equate Racan with dr Franjo Tudjman when it comes to giving credit and worth for the achievement of Croatian independence and sovereignty.
Absolutely and alarmingly disrespectful of the achievements that must be attributed to dr Franjo Tudjman, for if things panned out the way Racan advocated we wouldn’t be celebrating the 21st birthday of Independent Croatia – of the greatest achievement of the majority of Croatian people in history.
But that’s not all, Croatia’s former communists, while celebrating the WWII antifascists did that in the spirit of equating them with the priceless value of Croatian defenders from the Homeland War of 1991-1995; at the same time justifying murders and massacres perpetrated by the antifascists/Partisans.
This is how Croatia’s well known journalist Mario Profaca commented on Facebook on the events in Croatia on Friday 22 June 2012 – and I could not agree more:
“Not to mention by name the horrendous pit Jazovka, near Sosica on Zumberak, at which tribute and honour to the soldiers and civilians killed by the Partisans during World War II and after it dumped into the pit was bestowed with a commemorative Mass. Laying of wreaths and lighting of candles, in his speech for celebrating the public holiday Day of antifascist battle, 22 June 2012, speaking about the crimes committed also by Tito’s Partisans, Croatia’s Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic inaugurated a new ‘antifascist’ concept – ‘the right to revenge’.
President Ivo Josipovic (who ‘himself is a son of Partisan’) liked that, as well as Milanovic’s opportunistic meditation on how, during World War II, the ‘member countries of anti-Hitler coalition also murdered hundreds of thousands of civilians, women and children, and this was justified then’.
In the live TV broadcast from Brezovica, Milanovic uttered that sentence exactly at 11.59 a.m., and at that moment the live broadcast was cut due to regular News broadcast on HTV 1 at 12.00 noon, and so we couldn’t hear whether there were more of such big thoughts from a small mind.
We also must not neglect the bad in the events of 1940’s. But Croatia was on the right side, we know that it was just to participate in antifascist battle. What Partisans were then, our war veterans from 1990’s are now’, Josipovic said with inspiration.
In accordance with Milanovic’s and Josipovic’s inspired emphases of the analogy between antifascist battle and our Homeland War some idiot from Milanovic’s government could come up with the idea of inserting ‘the right to revenge’ into the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia as a Constitutional category. Only, in that case criminal prosecutions against Croatian defenders (war veterans) would need to be stopped.
That’s why it’s understandable that Milanovic’s ‘antifascist’ Cock-a-doodle-doo coalition has not yet forwarded to the parliament its proposal for the introduction into the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia the antifascist ‘right to revenge’, and when it will – we don’t know.”
The men, women and children Tito’s antifascist regime (including Partisans) murdered during and after WWII form multitudes; the bones of most are in over 1200 mass graves. All of them – symbols of love for Croatia.
These were not random slayings.
It was genocide.
It came from the top of the communist echelon. It was systematic and planned; so planned that even decades after the war the Yugoslav secret police UDBA ravaged the Croatian diaspora, intent on murdering the strongest human links to the love for Croatia.
The time has come when strong positive and decisive actions need to be put into place in Croatia so that prosecuting and dealing with communist crimes reaches a nationally supported level – for justice for victims. I have no doubt that gladness for increased efforts in justice for the victims of the communist regime would land into overwhelmingly supportive hands of both Croatia and diaspora – just like the movement for independence and sovereignty did in late 1980’s and 1990’s. Ina Vukic, Prof. (Zgb); B.A., M.A.Ps. (Syd)
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There’s hope for humanity yet! Let’s hope all these efforts yield result in court or legal proclamations of communist crimes. That is so very needed not only in Croatia but everywhere else where evil communism regimes slaughtered and tortured anyone who didn’t fit into their scheme of things.
Sadly, Croatia is still filled with die-hard communists and collaborators of the ex-Yugoslav UDBA secret police, who pretended to join into the fight for independent Croatia for personal gain but they never changed their advocacy for Yugoslav federation or similar “unity”. It’ll be very hard to achieve justice for victims of communism in Croatia because of this but let’s work on it – never say never! It must come.
You know, Miso, ex president Mesic contributed a great lot to the revision of historic facts and to all this “antifascism” hysteria still omnipresent in the everyday’s Croatian politics. Unfortunately, prime minister Milanovic, being relatively young and unexperienced, is quite under the influence of the “old lords” (Mesic but also president Josipovic).
Ten years of Mesic presidency are the worst ten years in the history of the Croatian state. Years and years will be nedeed
to anull the damage. But it WILL be done. It will be.
Totally agree re Mesic – Croatia’s worst nightmare
Thanks Klara – what you say is true except the comment about Milanovic. I think he is not young but painted with the same paint as all the antifascists and UDBA gang that still lingers. Milanovic knows well what he is doing on that front, he has no clue about economy or how to lead a country but I think he is a nasty piece of work, just like Mesic and Josipovic and Manolic and Boljkovac and … lots of those who shame the Croatian name.
I love your words “IT WILL BE DONE” – that’s the spirit Croatia needs to sweep away the lies the antifascist lot have smothered the Croatian name in the world and all because they have not accepted Croatia, do not accept Croatia but unfortunately live well off it.
I have been trying very hard to not address this issue. It is very painful for me to deal with this at this time since I am doing family history research which dates to this era of topic. My great grand parents and grand parents were fascist. They not only loved Croatia but Slavonia was their home as they were farmers. My grandfather was executed by the communist when my family was trying to escape the war because he was a fascist and my mother was captured put in a camp when she was captured as a child at 9 years old. She lived a horrid life being raped at such a young age and the pain and suffering she endured in the camp was beyond any imagination that anyone could endure. Because my grandfather was a fascist soldier who loved his country their life was removed from all records to remove their identity as they were nothing more then the shit in the ground and that allowed the communists to rape a 9 year old child and destroy her life but yet she was strong enough to become my mother in life who I am proud of . To this day I have no idea where my grandfather is buried other then in some land in Croatia where ever it was that they killed him. When I go to Slavonia I go to where my mother was taken away as a child from her home and sit and cry many tears and try to wonder why and what life could have been for all of us as a family. At the same time I try to imagine why some were antifascist but only but by choice to survive and save their own families I guess.My life not knowing so many things and not finding records in Croatia because they are to lazy to look or do not exists because of the era doesn’t allow me the comfort to say who should suffer the pains of my family. As a grown man I still shed tears to this day to find all I can about my family and those families who have been erased because of communist. It is very sad that the jews have people who are able to trace all of their origins and history and those who vanished but in Croatia we can not. In my words I think that Croats have suffered more then jews in terms of extinguishing people from any recognition of who they were as a people then the amount of deaths. I am Croat and proud I just would like our government to acknowledge this to allow me to respect my family heritage to be able to say yes he died because of the love for his country and slavonia. Sadly to this day no one knows where my grandfather is buried nor do they care but I do. if you know where my grandfather is buried I will be more then happy to reward you with my life long friendship. I have no use for antifascist in my life unless they can prove to me they love Croatia as my grandfather did which I doubt they can do
Too well do I know the pains you go through, Michael. There are thousands upon thousands of destinies like your grandfather, like your mother. The hand of the communists and antifascists was brutal beyond any imagination. Let’s trust the new generation will come to know how to deal with the great love for Croatia led to deaths and exterminations.
Michael, sorry for not replying to you earlier, I was rather busy these days; anyway, if you wish you can send me some details (e.g. who did you contact so far re. your family fate, any official body, when did you last do that, when you were in Slavonia or by mail, etc.) and I will try to see with some of my contacts whether it would be possible at all to trace back some info about your grandfather. my mail: forzari@yahoo.com
I did get some papers from the International Tracing service In Munich that said my mother was at Camp Funk kaserne where she got repatriated and lived In Austria before coming to the United states. Documents are not really detailed other then that but at least it is another piece of the puzzle.It is also mostly in German language!I also found marriage records of my grandparents in Sopje but nothing more. I will e-mail you. thank you klara i appreciate your comments.
The Ukrainian nation has the most tragic history of all European nations. Because of its natural resources and its strategic location, Ukraine was frequently invaded, conquered, divided and heavily oppressed by neighbouring imperialist powers in particular Russia, Poland, Austria-Hungary and Germany, especially in the bloodiest 20th century. Despite joint efforts of those imperialist powers to enslave and to eventually destroy the Ukrainian nation (especially the Ukrainian language, culture and religion), the Ukrainian nation survived and gained long overdue independence in 1991. So the Ukrainian nation did not pursue imperialism – conquest of other nations’ territory and subjugation of other nations, but waged a legitimate struggle for liberation of Ukraine from foreign occupation and from foreign oppression, and for self-rule for the Ukrainian nation. Why is this most important fact ignored as to who the aggressors, conquerors and oppressors of Ukraine were to justify criminal policies of imperialist powers aforementioned?
By invading Poland in 1939 the second world war was launched jointly by imperialist Nazi Germany and the imperialist Soviet Union (the Russian Communist Empire territorially the largest in the world that had enslaved over 100 nations).
The biggest crimes of the 20th century were committed by both the Soviet communist and Nazi Germany regimes that sought world conquest and domination (dozens of millions of people of many nationalities were exterminated). Ukraine’s losses in the 20th century suffered from Nazi German and Soviet Russian rule are staggering and unsurpassed (human losses alone are in the dozens of millions).
Falsifiers of Ukraine’s history should be reminded of this truth (these undeniable facts) so that they remember this truth for as long as they live! Truth and justice (punishment for crimes committed by aforementioned imperialist powers against the Ukrainian nation) must prevail! The Ukrainian nation has the legitimate right to demand financial and material compensation for the crimes against the Ukrainian nation committed especially by Russia, Germany and Poland on the lawful basis of Germany’s compensations to many nations for Nazi German crimes.
I wish you could raise this issue in the mass media, with appropriate government officials in the EU and elsewhere, and with the International Criminal Court.
don’t make me laugh. Communism brought justice, balance and glory. It’s time for new communism empire and kill all those criminals former prisoners of communists and all their corrupted children. Justice must be restored. Let’s begin with restoring Soviet Union , Yugoslavia and take over entire planet and it will be called Communist Empire. For Communism ready. Justice must be returned and life for all people in entire Europe and rest of the world as well. Long Live Stalin/Lenin/Marx and Tito.
Good luck Wizard – but not over my patch, thank you!