Croatia's Second Declaration of Independence

We the Croatian people solemnly declare that we are endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights to life, liberty and self-government. These basic human rights derive from our Creator who has made us in His image and with the ultimate purpose to live in dignity and freedom. These rights cannot be removed from the Croatian people by any government or tribunal.

We the Croatian people proudly and openly declare that General Gotovina is one of our greatest heroes and is an outstanding patriot. He deserves to be defended from the imperial overreach of The Hague. The Croatian government should use every diplomatic, constitutional, political and legal means to draw the world's attention to Del Ponte's unethical behavior and blatant abuse of power. Her relentless campaign against Croatia must be stopped.

Del Ponte and The Hague tribunal are attempting to rewrite the history of Croatia's Homeland War. They are hoping to criminalize Operation Storm and with it Croatia's hard-earned struggle for independence. If General Gotovina is sent to The Hague, he will be found guilty under the bogus charges of "command responsibility" for isolated incidents that took place during and after the operation. These kinds of incidents occur-and have occurred-in every military campaign. The indictment is an assault not only on the life and dignity of our hero, but on the life and the dignity of the Croatian people. It is a dagger aimed at the heart of the Croatian nation: it will render the official judgment of history that the country is founded upon mass crimes and ethnic cleansing. It will de-legitimize the foundations of Croatia's independence in the eyes of the world. It will establish the moral and legal basis for the restoration of a "Greater Serbia." It seeks to falsify and demonize Croatia's war for national liberation. It seeks to make white into black. It seeks to strip away and deny the Croatian people their fundamental, God-given rights. It poses a direct threat to Croatia's territorial integrity, national sovereignty and ultimately, its independence.

This is why we the Croatian people are proclaiming to the authorities in The Hague and to the entire world: We will not allow our basic rights as a nation to be taken away from us. We will, through peaceful, democratic and legal means, do everything in our power to uphold our liberties. We will defend with every ounce of our strength the sacrifices made by those who gave their lives in defense of a free and democratic Croatia.

We the Croatian people are now announcing the birth of a new patriotic movement-the "Young Croatia" movement. This new patriotism was born in the mass rallies that took place in Croatia and around the world on August 5th, 2005. It is a movement that is above party, faction or political affiliation. It is a movement that represents a new generation of Croatians: those who are of the post-Communist era and who deeply cherish the values of real democracy, social justice and national independence. This revolution is not of the right, left or center. Rather, it is a movement of the Croatian people, by the Croatian people, for the Croatian people. It is a movement whose guiding ideology is simple and profoundly democratic: The right of the Croatian nation to exist and to be free from the evils of imperialism and foreign intrusion-whether these emanate from The Hague, Belgrade, Brussels, London or Washington.

Our demands represent the highest aspirations of those who gave their lives on the battlefield and of the Croatian people everywhere:

- The Hague Tribunal must end its attempts to criminalize the Homeland War: all current indictments against Croatian generals must be dropped.

- General Ante Gotovina must not be sent to The Hague under any circumstances; rather, he is to be allowed to return home immediately as a free man.

- The Hague must revoke its indictments against Croatian journalists. These innocent men are being persecuted because of their efforts to report the truth about Del Ponte and the Homeland War. These indictments are a direct attack on Croatia's democracy and are an assault on the freedom of the press.

- Del Ponte, after having abused her office and no longer possessing the confidence and goodwill of the Croatian people, whose interests in the service of justice she is supposed to be representing and defending, must be removed and replaced by an interim prosecutor-one that has the respect and support of the Croatian people.

- Croatia's Constitution is to be amended to remove the clause committing Zagreb to "unconditional cooperation" with The Hague tribunal; as is the case with every other constitutional democracy in the world, human rights abuses and atrocities committed on a nation's soil are to be adjudicated within that country's legal system. The same principle must apply to Croatia. We will no longer tolerate the international community's blatant double standard, in which Croatia is forced to submit to the arbitrary whims of a distant, unaccountable and undemocratic foreign tribunal, while other countries such as Iraq, Russia, Chile, Argentina, Afghanistan, South Africa, Somalia, Israel and Vietnam (to name just a few) are entitled to resolve their war crimes cases in domestic courts.

- The government in Zagreb is no longer to allow itself to be blackmailed by the authorities in Brussels over Croatia's entry into the European Union. Before committing the country to membership talks, Croatia's leaders must first secure General Gotovina's freedom and the legitimacy of the Homeland War in the international community. Croatia's borders, constitutional sovereignty and national independence are not negotiable. These must be solidified prior to any decision about joining a larger economic and political union. A country first must be able to walk before it can run.

- Since its independence, the country's resources and public assets have been plundered by the country's government elites. Rampant corruption in public offices is destroying the morale of the people and crippling Croatia's economy. We demand an end to this government-sanctioned raping and looting. We do not elect Croatia's politicians to enrich themselves and their cronies. Rather, we elect them to serve the public good and advance the national interest. We demand honest, clean government.

- We demand that Croatia develop a truly free media-institutions that are not subject to government intrusion or party influence. An open press is critical to the development of genuine democracy. We will support and encourage any media outlet that displays the values of professionalism, political independence and a commitment to truthful reporting.

This new patriotic movement will not cease until all of our aims are met. In the days and months ahead, we will continue with our efforts to raise the awareness among the Croatian public about the gathering storm that is looming on the horizon: the ominous threat the Gotovina indictment poses to Croatia's national security; how it is being used by Belgrade, Serbian revanchists and the Serbian lobby in Washington to establish the basis for another attempt in the near future to annex Croatian territory; The Hague's systematic campaign to dismantle Croatia's national sovereignty, fledgling democracy and press freedoms; and the dangers to Croatia's vital strategic and economic interests posed by current entry talks into the European Union

We will continue to hold rallies, send press releases, sponsor political activism, and wage a relentless lobbying campaign in order to build a global network of supporters in the great democratic tradition of peoples struggling for justice and equality. Just as in the Homeland War, our goal is victory-total and complete. We are the conscience of Croatia. We will not rest until Croatia's war for independence has finally and irrevocably been won.

To this cause, we announce to the world that the Croatian people will not go silently into the night. We will not stand by and allow our liberties, honor and birthright to be taken from us. Our sacred ancestors and all of those brave men and women who sacrificed their lives, blood and treasure during the Homeland War are looking upon us at this moment. What we do now will determine the fate of Croatia. History will judge all of us by what we do-and more importantly, by what we don't do. We shall not, we must not and we will not fail.