A PUBLIC STATEMENT

REGARDING THE POLICE INTERROGATION CONCERNING THE ARTICLE

WHAT WILL HAPPEN,
WHEN SUHARTO DIES

THE ARTICLE 77 OF THE PENAL CODE, IS ACTIVATED AGAIN !

On tuesday, November, 26th, 1996., around 6h P.M., two uniformed policemen have brought to the editorial office of arkzin a summon for the police interrogation, commonly known, from the communist time, as "informativni razgovor"(the informative talk), to our journalist Bozo Matic.

The interrogation was .fixed for Friday 29th Nov. 96. in theDepartment for the Economical Crime of City Police Headquarters in Zagreb, concerning the article 71, subsection 1 and 2 of Penal Code. The respective article refers to the criminal offence of slander and implies one year of imprisonment.

Since "Bozo Matic" is an editorial pen-name, today on 29th Nov. in Djordjiceva 4 ( police headquarters) have set out Vesna Jankovic, the chief editor, and Dejan Krsic, the executive editor. They have been joined by Veronika Reskovic, the activist of the Group for the Direct Protection of Human Rights. .

For the conversation with Mrs. Klaric, only the chief editor enters the room 112, and learns there that the warrant for interrogation was sent by the municipal Solicitor- General , on account of text titled "What will happen, when Suharto dies ?" or originally: "Sto, kada Suharto umre ?" (Arkzin, issue 73, 13th Sept. 1996.).

The above mentioned text is found dubious for adducing the evaluations of foreign analytic press about the value of family Tudjman's wealth!

The involvement of Solicitor-General, because of the alleged slander of President of the Republic indicates that the article 77 of The Penal Code,which is a part of Mini- penal reform, which has become effective in April 1996., and which especially protects five State highest- ranking officials, was activated again. In opinion of many experts at home and abroad, this reform has brought the verbal delict into the Croatian legislation again. The assessment of Amnesty International is that the article 77 of Penal Code is contrary to the article 19. of The International Contract of Civil and Human Rights, which Croatia has ratified, and to the article 10 of The European Convention of the protection fo Human Rights and Basic Liberties,which Croatia has signed up while being admitted in the Council of Europe.

If, after receiving minutes of today's police interrogation, the Solicitor- General takes legal steps ( and what for, in contrariwise, he would issue the warrant for interrogation ?), it will be the re-run of thisspring's hurriedly organized trial to Feral Tribune..

Moreover, this time the State has put Itself not only to the protection of President's personality- cult, but also to the protection of his whole family.

For arkzin

Vesna Jankovic

arkzin

METAZINE FOR POLITICS AND CULTURE OF CIVIL SOCIETY

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