Demonstration for Ante Gotovina in The Hague on December 9th
PRESS RELEASE CROATIAN WORLDWIDE ASSOCIATION
Demonstration for Croatian General Ante Gotovina at The Hague on December 9th
On Saturday, December 9, 2006, the Croatian Worldwide Association organizes a demonstration at The Hague. The demonstration is organized to express solidarity and support for the release of Croatian General Ante Gotovina, a people’s hero and freedom fighter who was arrested on December 7, 2005 and is indicted by the ad-hoc United Nations Court:
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
On June 25, 1991, Croatia voted and declared itself independent from
Communist Yugoslavia. Belgrade did not allow the peaceful accession of
this new democratic country. In the following months, disputes
erupted between the Serb-dominated Yugoslav National Army (JNA),
stationed and headquartered in Belgrade with the Croatian Army. The
minority Serbs population inside Croatia did not agree with Croatia’s
declaration of independence and were thus supported by the Communist
JNA. Shortly thereafter, the JNA/Serbs destroyed many cities and
villages such as Skabrnja and Vukovar. Further, they slaughtered
local citizens in their ambition and goal to create a ‘Greater
Serbia’. Nevertheless, the Croatians managed to win this war of
independence with pure determination, will and realize the dream of
finally living in an independent democratic country away from any
Communist Rule. In August 1995, Operation Storm was launched and
within forty-eight hours and with help of Americans and American
resources, General Ante Gotovina and the Croatian Army managed to
secure Croatia’s independence after a four-year period of Serbian
occupation and aggression.
The activists point at the fact that no justice whatsoever lies in
judging a man who protected his country out of need against the
aggressors and protected the lives of his own people.
The retired general is honorary citizen of the city of Zadar. On the
road side and at the entrance of the town, hangs a poster of the
general who is indicted by the ICTY. The text which accompanies the
picture is: “a hero, not a war criminal”. In Zadar, a type of wine is
also named “Gotovina” with the subtitle “for our freedom and the
freedom of our country”. The production of a 120 bottles of wine was
part of a campaign against the handing over of Gotovina. A petition,
signed by a couple of hundred of high-ranking people in Croatia, was
presented to the government. In Kastela, another city on the Adriatic,
the general is also honored. The proposal of appointing Gotovina as an
honorary citizen is not accepted by the local government, but here
also hangs a poster of Gotovina which says: “Gotovina shouldn’t be the
victim of your ignorance and incapability”. The Roman-catholic hierarchy in Croatia again said they did not agree with the way in which the current Croatian government views the war of independence between 1991 and 1995.
Ante Gotovina is a hero, not a war criminal.
Practical information
The website with all the information about the general and the tribunal:
www.croatianworldwideassociation.com
The demonstration starts at the Malieveld at 14.00 hours. From there,
we will walk to the square (behind the building of the House of
Representatives) where speeches will be held before we will walk back
to the Malieveld.
We expect the demonstration to end around 15:00 hours.
Contact
Croatian Worldwide Association
P.O. Box 81226 Chicago, IL 60681 – USA
Contact concerning CWA
J. Prkic
contact@croatianworldwideassociation.com
Contact for practical info
V. Kapic
tel. +31 (0)6 192 396 70
About the Croatian Worldwide Association
The Croatian Worldwide Association is the most influential
organization and its mission is profoundly democratic and patriotic:
to protect the national sovereignty of Croatia and the legitimacy of
the Fatherland War and supports domestic reformation to create a
viable, strong and prosperous democratic republic. The Croatian
Worldwide Association is the most prominent public policy- and relief
organization in the world for Croatian issues.
More than 11800 people signed the online petition for Ante Gotovina
http://www.croatianworldwideassociation.com/site/epage/35101_571.htm