Therefore, what about the ethics of the judge who (by chance?) allowed that a horde of the so-called defenders of the dignity of the Homeland War waits in the hallway in front of his office at the time of witness' arrival; the judge who allowed that the already humiliated and terrified man be threatened with death, if he spoke, inside the Court building; the judge who allowed that his witness be photographed by the mob? What about the responsibility of the investigative magistrate who, pretending to know nothing about the local political, judicial and every other dirt, left the witness to wait in front of his office, pretending not to be aware that that hallway was no different from Split streets where all those who are not convinced that war vultures are not synonymous with patriots are endangered? And finally, isn't it supremely cynical that the president of the County Court, Igor Benzon, stated that it was impossible to predict this incident and that in the future the building will be secured better? Why hasn't it been secured until now? Because the goal was to permit intimidation of witnesses so that this trial, just like many before it, becomes a mere farce. That is why, while candles are symbolically burning for the murderers, witnesses of torture in Lora are very tangibly being intimidated. What was the reaction of the Split police? There was no reaction at all!
That does not imply that there are no positive examples of the actions of the government institutions (so desperately sought by Prime Minister Racan, who castigated certain media for "deliberately avoiding to write about positive examples"). Consequently, with joy, we would like to point out the example of the Zadar Police which immediately reacted and initiated a wide ranging investigation because of the barbarian "damage" inflicted on zero-category monuments in that city. It is expected that the Police will soon identify and apprehend terrifying leftist terrorists who shamelessly, under the cover of darkness, assaulted with white paint a Croat saint, the image of "hero and lover" Ante Gotovina displayed on a huge poster above the walls of the old city of Zadar, paid for by an anonymous, but obviously patriotic benefactor. Trying to ameliorate the fear of the public the Zadar police reacted to the defacement of the portrait of a monument with Gotovina's likeness with a very serious statement - "The police conducted the investigation on the crime scene and is conducting measures and actions with the goal of finding the culprits..."
Well, that's how it is in the state where Norac successfully draws the strings of street disturbances while being kept in custody, and where Gotovina will soon - there should be no doubt - become a honorary citizen of Zadar, so that, so naturally, the authorities must take care of even posters displaying the portrait of that dark "hero" of equally dark war, while there is no need to take care of more than three thousands of unworthy monuments to anti-fascist fighters that have been blown up, pissed on, defaced by Ustashe [Croatian WWII pro-fascist movement] insignia that still hasn't been removed. And since those monuments haven't been destroyed by "leftist terrorists", but by established pro-Ustashe hordes, it makes sense that until this day not a single investigation has been conducted "with the goal of finding..."
That is why it is not at all surprising that in year 2001 witnesses of bloody crimes in Lora are intimidated and receive death threats, that Feral Tribune staffers, just like during the good old times of Tudman's regime, receive pathological letters that include gentle promises that we shall be decapitated...
After all, why surprise? This is the state in which the president of the Parliament, opening hunting season on the authors of the film "Storm over Krajina", stated that the document about executions of elderly Serb women in Krajina is simply a provocation and a biased work, and that media should not deal with crimes because that is a job for the courts. Those courts in which a tortured citizen of Split, humiliated man who agreed to testify because he was first promised so necessary security, is physically attacked. And besides, that man is one of many about whose fate Zlatko Tomcic never uttered a word, even though, just like so many of the former quasi-opposition politicians, he knew everything about the crimes that "should not be dealt by the media". Furthermore, Tomcic today with his shameless statements actually indirectly calls for attacks on the victims of crimes or those who wrote about those crimes. Burdened by the guilt of his own silence, Mr Racan, following the example set by his illustrious predecessors, concluded that the documentary film about crimes after the operation Storm "spreads hate and intolerance".
Should we at this point recall the event that was the fuse that detonated the establishment of the general attitude of the new political elite about crime - Parliamentary Declaration About Bosnia, which forever took off the agenda the responsibility of Croatia for the aggression on that country?
The Tudman-like attitude towards crime has thereby, unfortunately, at least so far, become the only significant investment of the new authorities in the future of Croatia. Everything else is nothing but transparent demagogical attempt to appease the public that would be the envy of the biggest masters of that skill from the time of Communism or Tudman's regime. Thus the master of demagogy disembarked in Split with his fog machine, held a meeting of the government there, naturally with a direct propaganda broadcast only to promise to existentially exhausted citizens of the city with a destroyed economy - what? Now investments? New jobs? Honest revision of illegal privatization of Slobodna Dalmacija, for example?
Please, that is nothing but "unnecessary return to the past", as the new master of Croatia, unconvincing advocate of optimism and bright future, likes to say. He actually promised the construction of the highway Split-Zagreb; which will feed the hungry and employ unemployed; and, most importantly, raise to a higher level the endangered national unity; similarly to year 1971 when the same imaginary highway was used for unification of everything nationally "valuable", the event so fondly remembered in Split by the former Communists officials, today's rulers.
In the meantime, until the start of the construction of the highway (?), the message, under no circumstances cynical, of the optimist Prime Minister for the citizens of Split is - gentlemen look at the bright future and shut up!