Adaptation of photo by
Sputnik/Artev Zhitenev
Within the same week (the last week of April 2016) at least two significant things have occurred in Eastern/South-Eastern Europe when it comes to dealing with the horrendous crimes of the communist relatively recent past. Firstly, Hungary’s National Remembrance Committee (NEB), tasked with investigating the acts of the communist regime, has asked for some ten thousand pages of secret military files from the Communist era to be declassified, the daily news portal Magyar Idők (Hungary Today) reports. Secondly, while Croatia, regretfully will most likely not be able to do the same thing when it comes to communist military records because these were mainly kept in Belgrade, Serbia, where headquarters lay for all important matters of communist Yugoslav state, it can and it is preparing to rid the State of the Office of Former President that the abominable communist Stjepan Mesic occupies. This step would significantly reduce the easiness with which Stjepan Mesic blocks democratic progress in Croatia and aid significantly dealing with the criminal communist past.
Stjepan Mesic belongs to the army of former communists in Croatia who are currently on a heightened “false moral” ground accusing Croatians who attempt the necessary cleansing of Croatia of the burden of unaddressed justice for victim of communist crimes of being Fascists, Ustashis, Nazis… Stjepan Mesic has recently said in Jasenovac camp at a “communist commemoration for victims of WWII Ustashi regime crimes/Holocaust”, held separately from the official state one, that an “Ustashi demon is hovering over Croatia”.
What an evil, demonic politician!
Intimidating and attacking the process of justice for victims of communist crimes at the grave of victims of another regime – obscene!
Croatia must rid its public space from such obscenities!
Attack is the best form of defense – that was the motto of Yugoslav communists and so Mesic and Croatia’s so-called antifascists, who protect the criminal past of communism and multitudes of communists, still practice it. There is such a desperate need in Croatia for politicians and citizens to stay strong against this kind of intimidation and pursue justice for victims of communist crimes to a bitter end if it need be. It’s sad to watch that a part of Croatia’s Jewish community siding with former communists (or were communists themselves) who are still active in “accusing” those who are pursuing justice for victims of communist crimes as “diminishing the significance of the Holocaust” etc.
My goodness! How could the truth diminish anything else except the rule of untruth! Would all victims not stick with all victims? And if not – why?
Croatian Parliament
April 2016
Photo: Patrik Macek/ Pixsell
Croatian government’s current proposal for amendments to the Law regulating the special rights of the President of Republic of Croatia after he has ceased to be a president, which only gives Stjepan Mesic and no other former or current presidents a right to an official state-funded office, a chauffeur and a vehicle, which was devised and passed in the parliament under a former Social Democrats/communist government, which is planned for parliamentary voting in early June this year, had instigated hot discussions in the parliament last Wednesday 27 April 2016.
The Social Democrat (communist) opposition opposed the proposed legislative amendments as unpatriotic and unconstitutional. Government representatives said they wish to place all former presidents on grounds of equal rights and want to save money. The Opposition said the amendments were unconstitutional and intend to retrospectively take away the earned rights. The Opposition branded the proposals as populist and revengeful!
It seems to me that only communists are capable of saying that proposals for legislative amendments through proper channels of democracy (the parliament) are unconstitutional!
Miro Bulj, from MOST (BRIDGE) coalition in government said that former president Stjepan Mesic did not protect Croatian national interests when in 2000 he handed out documentation from the 1990’s Homeland War that was “State Secret” to foreign journalists, etc. But not only that, Mesic told untruths in the international criminal tribunal as witness with view to discrediting and criminalising Croatia’s Homeland War and with view to securing criminal convictions for Croatian generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac – Croatia, actually. His lies did not succeed and the Generals were acquitted in November 2012. But still to receive justice are the Herceg-Bosna Six at the Hague for Mesic lied when it comes to Croatia’s role in the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina during 1990’s where he evilly and maliciously branded Croatia as an aggressor even though Croatian forces were invited by Croats there to help them defend their lives and land from Serb and later Muslim aggression and brutalities.
Stjepan Mesic, of course, grew some more measure to his wings and said last week that given there are those who still want him around he would become politically active – again! Oh dear – victims of communist crimes won’t have a chance for a long time if Mesic keeps polluting Croatia’s public space with his false antifascist garbage.
“So, Mesic intends to return to what he knows best,” writes Silvana Oruc-Ivoc of Maxportal – “falsifying and bending the history, lying and jumping into his own mouth. And so he recently said at one of the memorial services at Jasenovac (for victims of the Holocaust) that ‘a person who talks like an Ustasha – is an Ustasha’. But, Mesic didn’t think like that before and so on 6 June 1992, speaking in the Croatian Club in Punchnowl in Sydney, Australia, he said the following:
‘In Second World War, you see, Croats were victorious twice and we have no reason to apologise to anybody. That which they ask of Croats … go and kneel at Jasenovac, kneel here…we have no reason to kneel before anyone! We won twice, and all others won only once. We won on 10 April (1941) when the Axis powers recognised our Croatian state and we won because we found ourselves after the war, with the winners again, at the table of winners.’”
When the video recording of this abominable speech was published on internet few years ago, Mesic said that he didn’t mean that he was uplifting Croatia’s WWII Ustashi, that he was carried by the enthusiasm for an independent Croatia among the audience, who, he said (wrongly) were all Ustashi.
What an awful man! What an awful liar! Capable of saying and doing anything to stay in power and see his communist agenda of obstructing democracy in Croatia stay afloat.
It’s a shame the government failed to be louder at the parliamentary discussions last week regarding proposal to amend the law, closing the office of the former president, regardless of the fact that the governing party HDZ/Croatian Democratic Union led by Tomislav Karamarko accepted the proposal for closure earlier in April 2016. It’s a shame the government has not at the same time as proposing amendments to the law regarding the office of former president also proposed amendments to the legislation prohibiting and banning the use/display etc. of WWII Ustashi regime symbols and speech. It’s a shame it has not proposed that the same prohibitions and bans be applied to the symbols, insignia, and speech from communist Yugoslav regime. Perhaps this is a planned measure the government plans to take to the parliament in the near future, but if not, darker times of unrest and hatred and divisions are bound to flourish at Croatia’s detriment. Truth must come out at whatever the cost – justice for victims of crime demands it. If the government doesn’t do this very soon as far as I am concerned it does not stand behind what it said it would do – bring justice for the victims of the former communist regime. President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic could also undertake firmer action in this direction otherwise anyone is justified in thinking that many politicians in Croatia owe Mesic favours he does not deserve. Favours as in not really doing much to bring him down not from the office of former government but from what he says. In 2015 the Ukrainian parliament banned the symbols of the communist and Nazi totalitarian regimes and joined other Eastern European countries in this – it’s high time Croatia banned communist symbols as well. No ifs or buts about it. Ina Vukic, Prof. (Zgb); B.A., M.A.Ps. (Syd)
RSS - Posts
High time for justice and that ban indeed. Thanks for keeping on that case, Ina.
Thank you Christoph, I will be staying on the case until it’s all done – may seem “old rag” at times but hey, justice does not come easy for victims of communism so new and old rags are just the thing. Hugs.
Right on! Right On!
Yeah!
Symbols of all totalitarian regimes must be forbidden everywhere and in Croatia too. The chant “Death to Fascism and freedom to the people” – also – communists in Yugoslavia knew nothing of true freedom except the freedom to use communist party power to do as one pleased. Awful destinies! Thank God many of us escaped to the West between 1945 and 1989!
Hear hear Vancy
“Communism was a genocidal system that led to the murder of tens of millions of people,” Jaroslaw Kaczynski – the president’s twin brother and the head of the party – said back then. “No symbol of communism has a right to exist in Poland, because these are symbols of a genocidal system that should be compared to German Nazism.” BRAVO POLAND 2010!
Thank you Jessamy for complementing my text, yes indeed several Eastern European countries have banned communist symbols already
It is beyond comprehension that Croatia has not banned communist symbols yet! Shame, shame, shame!
Shame, indeed – Wilkinson!
Hurry up Eoropean Union Parliament – make all you member states forbid symbols of all totalitarian regimes forthwith!
I second that million times over, Trooper
Stjepan Mesic is a stinking old communist living off democracy by spinning rotten lies and false antifascist yarns! What a terrible fate for people living in Croatia. Worship the ground I walk on away from such a place where that traitor lives and walks.
So glad I will never be physically close to him and his kind nor spiritually and every which way, Weiss Jermalne, also 🙂
It passes all understanding why anyone there would want to cling to the Communists. I struggle with the idea that Jews would support this regime given the pogroms by Communist Regimes elsewhere.
It seems that realisiation is slow how well the Country could be built on democratic lines without the influence and lies peddled by there sick and slick politicians. Western Governments must know the truth and should also be speaking out.
I hope the truth starts making the people see the direction in which they need to go.
xxx Huge Hugs Ina xxx
Life has taught us, David, that there’ll always be someone to whom progress in truth and democracy will not be worthwhile, so they continue irritating and irritating. Well, guess what? I can just as irritating as they in helping get the red buggers out of social influence and out of national course. Many hugs indeed XXXX
Apparently r/croatia/ hates this article. Too many communists on that sub reddit.
Even one communist is too many in a country forging its way in democracy, Joe
Yes it is high time…but the right is so disorganized and divided, with no apparent leader or galvanizing idea (as if they need more reason to unite they still don’t).
On the money there, Sunman 🙁
Keep up the good work Ina.
“Jos pive, molim”
How was my Croatian accent? Be honest now. 😀
Fantastic 😀
Awwww thanks Ina. I’ve been practicing hard in front of the mirror most nights 😀
Hope you had a piva in your hand 😀
I’m never without one Ina 😀
Such a relief to know you’re true to what the “Whelk” says he/she/it likes to do 🙂
Moram vam priznati da sam zaista impresioniran vašim radom, trudom i zalaganjem, te tako perfektnim engleskim gospođo Ina, i usput, blog vam je fenomenalan 🙂
Translation of comment by WriteitDown: I must admit I am truly impressed by your work, effort and commitment, Ms Ina, and ny the way your blog is phenomenal.
REPLY: Aww, thank you so very much WriteItDown/ Nermin 🙂 Much appreciated
Oh..sorry for my Bosnian language, I thought it is ok, hah, because I am new and I see you are here from around 2011, I would like that you come to my blog and rate it from 1-10 thanks a lot !
All good, no problem to translate and will gladly assist yours
The title of this post: “Justice for Victims of Communist Crimes Dictates Former Pres. Stjepan Mesic Must Go!” –ahh, would that it was as easy as that. If the removal of Mesic was the main or only impediment that lies between the victims of communism and their pursuit of justice then it would be happy days indeed. No, unfortunately Mesic is not alone, Croatia is chock-full of Mesics. They call themselves antifascists today, they called themselves communists yesterday, and they called themselves partisans before that. Most are proud of their partisan/communist/antifascist heritage and do not distinguish between any of the aforementioned terms to describe themselves, in fact they use the descriptors interchangeably depending on their audience. And why not? No govt. has done anything to stop them, no legislation passed to curb their rhetoric or ban their paraphenalia – in fact the Croatian govt. upon independence agreed to continue paying them their veterans pensions for their service to Croatia during WWII when they liberated Croatians–yes, they liberated hundreds of thousands of Croatians; liberated their bodies from their souls and dumped them in mass graves throughout the countryside. Croatia still honors its antifascists on the Day of the Antifascist Struggle, a public holiday adopted from the days of Jugo. And the examples of Croatian govt. sanctioning of antifascism/communism/partisanship go on and on.
Seeing the comments of late from Croatia’s highest officials (Grabar Kitarovic, Oreskovic, Karamarko) makes the prospect of justice for victims of communism improbable at the very least. Whom do you recognize amongst those three as being an advocate for their cause?
Indeed, Velebit, you make compelling points – all true, Mesic is not alone. But if they got rid of his office as official stuff (which I believe will occur) and then changed the legislation to introduce banning of communist symbols etc things for victims would look better. Things though will need much more pushing for legislative changes as I don’t see any of those three volunteering or showing initiative to get struck into it yet…So am sitting and watching and wondering: will they, won’t they?