There is no telling it differently: if you try to cover up a crime, if you try and pervert the course of justice for that crime then you are an accomplice to that crime; an accomplice after the fact.

Few days ago I wrote the article regarding the real possibility that after 1st July, when Croatia enters the European Union as member state, Germany would have an open door to execute its arrest/extradition warrant for Josip Perkovic (agent Communist Yugoslav Secret Police UDBA) wanted for murder/ assassination of Croatian émigré in Germany during 1980’s.

Lo and behold, only a day or so after I published that article (after Croatian media outlets published theirs) a most disturbing matter came to light: Croatian leftist government (might as well say: communist for its members come from that stock, who didn’t want the early 1990’s breakup of communist Yugoslavia anyway, who have not changed in their filthy political trickery of their predecessors) announces it will “quick-smart” (2 days before Croatia’s entry into EU) put to vote in the parliament an amendment to law governing extradition of alleged criminals to countries of the EU. I.e., that only crimes committed after 7 August 2002 could be subject to extradition!  They say that this way the law will protect any Croatian war veteran (from 1990’s Homeland War) from extradition – if needed! They say that it’s not about protecting Josip Perkovic, alleged and by some proven communist criminal, from extradition!

Yeah, right! That probably why the proposed law has been dubbed in Croatia “Lex Perkovic” !

The fact that this Croatian government is putting the communist criminals into the same basket as the Croatian war veterans is absolutely repugnant. The fact that a government would want to bring in a law that limits extradition of alleged criminals is repugnant.  The fact that in “justifying” its idea of “protecting” war veterans is repugnant for it implies that there were veterans who had committed war crimes in another country member state of the EU – which is not the case.

And why would a government make a national issue about “protecting the war veterans” when if crimes were committed they were committed by individuals who breached orders, rules of engagement etc, and not the army – and such individuals must be brought to justice just as many have been during the past decade and many are probably in the process.

It’s simply perverse that to save one 1980’s alleged and by some proven communist criminal (Perkovic) from extradition the government is placing an awful false label on the whole Croatian Army of the 1990’s.

The same Perkovic, as high-ranking officer of the former Yugoslav secret police, was at certain times in early 1990’s an adviser to Franjo Tudjman, first president of independent Croatia. It was in the period of transitioning from communist Yugoslavia, when Croatia was engulfed in the war of Serb aggression and all knowledge, even the most terrible one, would have been politically useful. But what’s happening in Croatia these days is that there are people saying that Perkovic should be protected from extradition to Germany, for crimes committed in Germany, because he was involved in creating the independent Croatia by way of being one of many advisers to Tudjman.

Really, this is perversion and repugnance of the worst kind.

Mind boggles here: the same communist lot have been more than ready to crucify the late Franjo Tudjman with lies and half truths and now they are saying that one of his advisers, who actually has been proven or named in German courts to have committed crimes there, should be protected from prosecution because he was his adviser!

God help us from the die-hard communists!

Ivana of “Tinolovka News” says: “had the regime (Croatian government) tru;y cared about the war veterans its more than certain they would have passed such a law while it had any sense to it, that is, about ten years ago, before Generals Markac and Gotovina were arrested, before the 6 Croats from Herceg-Bosna ended up in prison pending trial, much before the persecution of Croatian war veterans started”.

I agree – this proposal of legislative amendment is perverse not only because the government is masking its real intent – to protect communist crimes from being processed and brought to justice, but because it’s not in the nature of most Croatian people to protect criminals, whoever they are. So this anti-Croatian, Croatian government is once again trying to paint a picture of Croatia as a nation that protects criminals, that offers criminals safe-havens.  And this is the same government that condemns WWII crimes committed by pro-Nazis while it justifies communist crimes as “righteous” of the same era.

I trust that come Friday 28 June the Croatian parliament will not have on its agenda the voting for this appalling law because the European Union will stop it in its tracks, given that during its EU accession negotiations and meeting the EU required standards Croatia had not announced nor stipulated any such changes in the relevant legislation. Ina Vukic, Prof. (Zgb); B.A., M.A.Ps. (Syd)