HND: Journalist Subjected to Institutional Lynching Over Article on Vukovar
ZAGREB, 6 Nov 2021 - The Croatian Journalists Association (HND) on Saturday strongly condemned "the public and institutional lynching" of journalist Boris Dežulović over his article published on the website of N1 television in which he criticized the abuse of the plight of Vukovar in the 1991-1995 Homeland War for political purposes.
The HND said in a statement it was particularly worrying that public condemnations of the journalist were made by the Ministry of Veterans' Affairs, thus "institutionalizing the lynching of a journalist and eradication of freedom of speech."
"Our colleague Dežulović has received over a hundred serious threats and death threats over the last few days, some of which he has reported to the police," the HND said, calling on the state institutions to protect Dežulović from any form of intimidation, threat or persecution like any other journalist who encourages important public discussions such as this one.
"Dežulović's persecutors persistently and deliberately insinuate that his article was a gross insult to the sacrifice of Vukovar and its citizens. It is clear to anyone who read the article from beginning to end that the author's intention was only to criticize how state and local authorities treat Vukovar and how various political groups have been carefully mummifying it for decades to keep it in a state that suits their political interest, how its existence has been reduced to a site of special respect, rather than a city fit for living," the HND said.
Dežulović rightfully drew attention to the ongoing exodus of its residents because of neglect for the city and the absence of any political strategy other than a commemorative one, and he did so in the public interest, notably in the interest of its residents, the statement said.
The HND noted that Dežulović has been writing about this matter continually, recalling that he had received the prestigious European Press Prize for an article published on 19 November 2013 under the title "Vukovar - A Life-Size Monument to the Dead City".
The HND said that a topic such as the treatment of Vukovar 30 years after its destruction at the start of the war in 1991 must be open to public discussion. "Otherwise, we will allow multiple victimization of this city, which will not only remain captured in its commemorative role but will also be deprived of any discussion on the purpose and effects of such a role," the statement said.
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Ivica Puljak Elected Leader of Centre Party
ZAGREB, 6 Nov 2021 - The mayor of Split, Ivica Puljak, was elected president of the parliamentary Centre party by a vast majority of delegates at an online election convention on Saturday, saying that the party was ready to take responsibility for changing Croatia into a modern, open and tolerant society.
"The confidence that was placed in us by the people of the second-largest city in Croatia shows that they want true change. Everything we are doing in Split is proof that such change is really possible, and the time is slowly becoming ripe for Croatia to discard the deep-rooted political models. Centre will show that it has the strength to spearhead such change," Puljak said.
"My goal is to upgrade Centre into an organization that is fully ready to take responsibility for changing Croatia into an open, modern, and tolerant society which we are striving for," he added.
Puljak said he would continue to be fully devoted to his role as mayor of Split, which he sees as the leader of change in the country, but that as the party leader he would help "others to spread this change across Croatia, at all levels."
Member of Parliament Dalija Orešković was elected political secretary, while Marin Račić, a member of the Rijeka City Council, and Lana Pavić, a political scientist, were elected vice-presidents of the party.
Orešković said that the Centre party wanted to build Croatia as a country based on the rule of law and the principle of equity in which institutions people can trust.
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FM Expects "Constructive Dialogue" With President at Meeting on Tuesday
ZAGREB, 6 Nov 2021 - Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said on Saturday he expected a constructive dialogue between the president of the republic and the prime minister at a meeting of the Defence and National Security Council on Tuesday in the interests of the functioning of the state, its institutions, and national interests.
President Zoran Milanović has proposed a meeting of the Defence and National Security Council because of the escalation of his conflict with Defence Minister Mario Banožić, whom he accused of politicizing the Armed Forces. The government proposed three dates for the meeting and Milanović chose 9 November.
"I expect a constructive dialogue, an exchange of views and proposals because we politicians and officeholders are accountable to our citizens. Everything that is in the interest of the functioning of the state and its institutions, national interests, will be on the table," Grlić Radman told reporters during a visit to his ministry's stall in Zagreb's Cvjetni Trg square as part of events marking the 25th anniversary of Croatia's membership of the Council of Europe.
"We are facing a serious task ... because Croatian citizens deserve what they need, and that is social stability, economic growth, a higher vaccination rate, and security. The government will provide an appropriate answer in that regard," he added.
Ambassadors are a priority
Speaking of filling ambassadorial positions, Grlić Radman dismissed Milanović's claim that he did not want an ambassadorial nominee because he was an ethnic Serb. "I never said that," Grlić Radman said, calling Milanović's claims "empty talk" and "base insinuations".
Grlić Radman said that ambassadors were a priority to him. "We have three important positions - Paris, Vilnius, and the Vatican, and they need to be filled. This will also be discussed" at the Defence and National Security Council meeting, he added.
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Green Activists Demand Shutdown of Plomin Power Plant in Next Five Years
ZAGREB, 6 Nov 2021 - Activists of the Zelena Akcija environmentalist group on Saturday held a performance in downtown Zagreb to demand the closing of the coal-fired thermal power plant in the Istrian town of Plomin in the next five years.
The purpose of their performance was to warn about the failures of the government and Economy Minister Tomislav Ćorić in efforts to meet climate neutrality targets.
They claim that the efforts which Prime Minister Andrej Plenković presented during the Glasgow climate summit were insufficient.
Those environmentalists also insist that the closure of the Plomin thermal plant should be shifted from the planned deadline in 2033 to 2026.
The activists raised their voice against nuclear energy from the Krško plant, as they believe that instead of investing in the construction of a new block of the Krško plant, those funds should be used for solar panels on rooftops.
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Independent Candidate Mladen Novak to Run for Međimurje County Prefect
ZAGREB, 6 Nov 2021 - Mladen Novak, an independent candidate who is running for the presidency of Međimurje County, on Saturday presented his candidacy in Čakovec.
The duty of the county authorities is to create preconditions and climate for the development of the industry and production sector that could provide decent pay to workers, said Novak, who used to be an official of the local Social Democratic Party (SDP).
He said that he could address the issues of security, low wages, and infrastructure if he got elected.
The early elections are scheduled for 28 November, after the former county prefect, Matija Posavec, stepped down due to the ongoing investigation against him on suspicion of corruption and abuse of office.
On 26 October, Sandra Herman of the Reformists party presented her candidacy for the new county prefect.
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County Prefect Candidate: All Governments Have Pushed Roma Issue Under the Rug
ZAGREB, 6 Nov 2021 - Darko Zver, the candidate of the Fokus party for the Međimurje County prefect in a snap election, told a news conference in Čakovec that all the Croatian governments "have pushed the issue of ethnic Roma in Međimurje under the rug."
One of the planks of Zver's agenda is to address the problems facing a sizeable Roma community in that part of Croatia.
Zver also criticized parliamentary deputy Veljko Kajtazi, who represents ethnic Roma in the national legislature, over his statements on the topics concerning local Roma members.
If elected, Zver promised "drastic changes" in social welfare benefits, education training, and employment.
He said that the county authorities must financially support training and retraining for the most sought-after occupations.
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Croatia Records Again Highest Number of New COVID Cases in One Day
ZAGREB, November 6, 2021 - In the past 24 hours Croatia has registered 7,094 new coronavirus cases and 50 deaths, Koronavirus.hr reported on Saturday.
That is the highest number of new cases yet in one day since the outbreak of the pandemic. The record until now was 6,932, which was registered on Friday.
There are currently 31,689 active cases in the country, including 1,786 hospitalized patients, and 234 are on ventilators.
At the same time, there are 30,256 people self-isolating.
Since February 25, 2020, when the first case of infection was recorded in Croatia, a total of 497,168 people infected with the new coronavirus have been recorded so far, of whom 9,450 have died, a total of 456,029 have recovered, of which 3,896 in the last 24 hours.
To date, a total of 3,171,181 people have been tested, of which 15,498 in the last 24 hours.
As of November 5, 2021, 3,675,807 doses of vaccine were consumed, and 47.78% of the total population and 57.19% of the adult population were vaccinated. On November 5, 2021, 17,334 doses of vaccine were consumed, of which 8,819 persons were vaccinated with the first dose.
As of November 5, 2021, 1,939,061 people were vaccinated with at least one dose, of which 1,816,377 people (1,696,577 people vaccinated with two doses and 119,800 people vaccinated with Jannsen) were vaccinated, which is 53.71% of the adult population.
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Croatian Hospitals at 90% Capacity as Number of Coronavirus Cases Grows
November 6, 2021 - ''We are not far from a situation when we will have to choose who will take a respirator'', warns pulmonologist Saša Srića, as he announces that many Croatian hospitals have already reached 90% percent of their capacity as the number of positive cases continues to grow.
Minister of Health Vili Beroš stated on Saturday that there are more than seven thousand newly infected with coronavirus in Croatia today, we are at the peak of the fourth wave, and that we do not know what awaits us.
Record numbers worried many, and pulmonologist Saša Srića, who was a guest on the show New Day on the H1 television station, also spoke on the subject, reports Net.hr.
A potentially catastrophic scenario
"It is a worrying situation that at the moment can, given the trends, represent a potentially catastrophic scenario. The measures that have been adopted are overdue. These measures that come into force, which from today, and again from 14 November, is a big step back. A lot of time will pass, I think it could have been faster.
I think that the measures are not adequate and should be extended to other sectors. The virus does not know the difference whether it is in schools, cafes, restaurants, shopping malls. The measures should have been much stricter", expressed Srića, and continued:
"Constant balancing and the system 'we will not resent anyone, let's be good to everyone' has cost us such situations, such epidemiological pictures. And what we need to fear the most, the overload of the health care system, is already present".
Pulmonologist Saša Srića (Photo: Robert Anic/PIXSELL)
"When we talk about the younger population, compared to previous waves, there is now a much larger number of the younger population. The delta strain attacks the younger population more for one reason: it is poorly vaccinated. The theory 'it won't hurt me, we are young and healthy' is an escape from the truth, an escape from reality, he emphasized and continued:
Fear for the health system
Young people like to get together, that’s logical, but we need to be aware of the current situation. The younger population who end up with a more severe clinical picture are, as a rule, almost all unvaccinated", said Srića, adding that so far we have not had a death of a person under the age of 50 who was vaccinated and in full health.
"We are already in over 90 percent of capacity in many Croatian hospitals, and only now are we taking care of those from two weeks ago when we had two thousand infected. What will be in the next two to three weeks?
I am afraid that with such a trend, the health care system, despite the fact that we hear some optimistic assessments from the Headquarters, will hardly survive. Even estimating the collapse of the health care system and Croatian hospitals in two to three weeks is not something that is unrealistic'', said Srića.
"I don't think the numbers will fall for a while. The winter is still going on and will last. I don't think we're at the peak yet, and that's especially worrying. What worries me the most is when the situation starts to collapse. We are wondering how many places we still have, not to mention the situation we will have in ten days. That is why I say that the measures are too weak", said Srića and answered the question: what if there is no place in Croatian hospitals, are there any protocols?
"We haven't worked out the protocols, I think we need them. We should first of all try to find enough capacity. The capacities of the beds and respirators are, I am convinced, not completely spent, I think there will be too few people. Many people are already exhausted, tired, the possibility of error is present.
And you want to get into a situation where you choose to take a respirator, you don't… We must not get into a situation like that, and I am afraid that we are not far from there", pointed out Srića.
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Homeland Movement MP Will Not Go to Parliament Until Further Notice
November 6, 2021 - 'It is my right to have a virus, I did not and I will not be vaccinated or tested', said Homeland Movement MP Zlatko Hasanbegovic, as he announces that he will not comply with the new measures imposed by the government, and will stop attending parliament indefinitely.
As reported by Net.hr, Homeland Movement MP Zlatko Hasanbegovic said after the introduction of new measures that include covid confirmations that he would no longer come to Parliament.
"That is impossible. Even if the deputies themselves made such a decision by a two-thirds majority, it would be marginal, and to prevent us from coming to Parliament on the basis of an administrative decision of some headquarters is completely unacceptable. Someone will certainly file a constitutional complaint because of that. The Constitutional Court will rule. I have not and will not be vaccinated, and I do not want to be tested. It is my right to have the virus. As long as these measures are in force, my foot will not step into Parliament'', Hasanbegovic told Novi list.
Measures apply to everyone
Let us remind you, after the Headquarters yesterday prescribed that COVID certificates are valid for all civil and public servants, Parliament Secretary Davor Orlović said that these measures would also be applied to MPs. Simply put, anyone who wants to be in Parliament will have to be vaccinated, tested, or recovered from the virus.
"It is known what will be the way to enter the Parliament building, either on the basis of COVID certificates or the appropriate test. There is absolutely no difference between officials and employees. No details are known yet, next week the Parliamentary Presidency will discuss new measures'', Orlović said.
''We can’t separate MPs from others'', he added.
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Minister Says Croatia at Peak of 4th Wave of Pandemic
ZAGREB, 6 Nov 2021 - Health Minister Vili Beroš told the national radio (HR) on Saturday morning that over 7,000 new cases of the infection with coronavirus had been registered in the last 24 hours.
Croatia is now at the peak of the new wave of the pandemic and unfortunately, today we have registered over 7,000 new cases.
The minister declined to predict the scenarios for the future.
Let us do our best, and the best thing is to get vaccinated and comply with the basic anti-epidemic measures, said Beroš.
He said that the hospitals were not under strain such was the case in the previous waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He called for responsible behavior of all so as to prevent an excessive burden on the healthcare system.
Vaccination reduces possible reservoirs for the virus, he said, reiterating the benefits of immunization such as fewer chances of getting seriously ill.
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