ZAGREB, July 20, 2019 - Vukovar Mayor Ivan Penava said on Friday that the town authorities had never entertained the idea of disobeying the Constitutional Court decision to enhance the rights of the local Serb minority, added that no law was an end in itself but should be at the service of the people.
"As long as it is so, there will be no problem. However, when someone is trying for reasons best known to themselves to subject the people and citizens to some legal provisions only for the sake of their own interests, then I find that disputable," Penava said.
He added that "the Town Council will in October consider what the statute prescribes and respond accordingly".
Constitutional Court President Miroslav Šeparović has recently said the court recommended that the Vukovar Town Council adopt changes to the statute whereby Serb councillors will be able to receive official documents and papers in their mother tongue and Cyrillic script upon oral request. Currently, such requests have to be submitted in writing only.
The Council was given until October to make the changes and adopt other necessary decisions to enhance the Serb minority's right to use their language and script.
Penava today urged media outlets and journalists "to have the courage and humanity" and understand that "our Constitution and the values and laws of God have some fundamental values" and that the fundamental values under the Constitution are human lives, freedoms and equality, and that it is against the law to take another person's life.
He again underscored that the rights of victims of the 1991-1995 war "have been ignored for 28 years".
He accused segments of the Croatian society of ignoring the Homeland War and war victims.
More Vukovar news can be found in the Politics section.
