How is it Possible for the Government to not Know What its Offices and Secret Services Do?

24 January 2007

Provoked by the recent events surrounding the removal of Jadranka Cigelj from the position of the head of the Associations� Bureau, the security checks on the members of the Civil Society Development Council and the mutual blame-game between Cigelj and the Vice-President of the Government, 15 Croatian NGOs wrote and open letter to the Government. In it, they demand from it to clearly establish who was responsible for the illegal checks and clear procedures for all future cases.

According to the 15 organizations, the security checks of elected members of the Council bring about a series of serious questions for all citizens and institutions in Croatia, therefore, they demand clear and unambiguous answers.

Together with Jadranka Cigelj, who had no right to demand security checks, the organizations believe that equal share of responsibility falls on the Security and Counterintelligence Agency (SOA), who accepted the order and didn�t refuse to act on illegal orders.

The signatories of the open letter wander how was it possible for the Government to not know what the Head of the Associations� Bureau or SOA were doing? Also, the Government didn�t react when it was informed about the illegal checks by the Centre for Peace Studies, in spite of the fact that the media, too, reported on the matter. According to the letter, the issue of security checks is much more important and serious than this individual case of security checks of Council Members.

The organizations demand from the Sabor and the Government to urgently adopt proper regulations and procedures regarding security checks, so as to establish, once and for all, who shall have the authority to order security checks and who may be subjected, to whom such authorities will report and who shall be held responsible in cases of abuses of office.

They also demanded that all the findings and documents resulting from the security checks of members of Civil Society Development council are destroyed immediately, in accordance with the Law, and for the Council to be constituted immediately.

Also, the open letter demands that a new person is appointed to the position of Head of Associations� Bureau. That person should be chosen on bases of his/her contribution to the development of civil society in Croatia. Furthermore, the Council should approve the appointment.

The whole procedure of nomination and election of candidates for the Joint Committee on Civil Society, established by EU and Croatia, conducted by the Council, should be repeated, in a transparent procedure, conducted in line with clear set of criteria.

The letter was signed by B.a.B.e., CESI, Centre for Peace, Non-Violence and Human Rights � Osijek, Centre for Peace Studies, �Delfin�, Freedom of Upbringing Forum, GONG, Iskorak, Kontra, Croatian Youth Network, Multimedia Institute, ZaMir, Zelena Akcija, Zelena Istra, Croatian Women Network.