THE "START OF THE NEW GENERATION" PROHIBITED

Just at the time when the fourth number of the magazine the "Start nove generacije" (Start of the New Generation) was being completed, the Commercial Court in Zagreb prohibited its publication temporarily, until the end of the court proceedings. The proceedings were initiated by the Newspaper Publishing Enterprise of the magazine Vjesnik, charging the publisher of the "Start of the New Generation" of publishing a paper in which in the title he graphically emphasizes the word "start", which can in the readers associate it with the contents and quality of the former paper published by the plaintiff. It refers to the magazine "Start" shich stopped coming out in 1990, while the Newspaper-Publishing House Vjesnik is undergoing bankruptcy proceedings and will, when they are completed, probably no longer exist. Zvonimir Krstulovic, the editor-in-chief of the "Start of the New Generation" considers the court ruling tragicomical, because the court deals in "possibilities of associations in readers, market productivity and graphic analyses".

He thinks that this ban is of a political nature and that it is motivated by the writing of the "Start of the New Generation", for "if we had not written about the kuna, as we wrote, if we had not written about Tudjman, as we wrote, if we had not written about murders, the destruction of houses, the current terrorism here, the Latino-Americanization of Croatia and about all the current non-freedoms in Croatia ... this ban would have never been imposed. Krstulovic thinks that despite the liberal laws they have passed, the Croatian holders of power have not given up the intention to silence independent papers, resorting to different methods and means, including the ban on the publication of the paper he is editor of. However, neither he, nor the editorial office, intend to give up, and claim that the material of the prepared fourth issue will reach the readership.

AIM, ZAGREB, June 26,1994.

The "Start of the New Generation" - one of several independent papers in Croatia, will not be coming out for the time being. The temporary prohibition of publication of the "Start of the New Generation" was ruled by the Commercial Court in Zagreb, in connexion with the proceedings initiated by the Newspaper-Publishing Organization (NIP) of Vjesnik magazine. The prohibition is temporary and will be in force, as explained by the court, until the end of the action initiated on the basis of charges pressed by NIP Vjesnik.This enterprise which has been the subject of bankruptcy proceedings for some time now and which will, on the completion of these proceedings probably wind up operations, sued NIP Marjan Express- the publisher of the "Start of the New Generation" for having published a paper in which in the title the world "start" is strongly emphasized, drawing thus "on possible associations in the readers of the contents and quality of the former paper of the plaintiff".

NIP of Vjesnik magazine namely, published the "Start" magazine, of the one most popular and liberal papers in the 1980's, not only in Croatia, but in the territory of the entire former Yugoslavia. But, like most other papers, especially reviews and magazines, after the break-up of Yugoslavia, which meant the loss of the common Yugoslav market, and given the growing economic crisis in Croatia, the "Start" was hit by financial difficulties and finally, in 1990, stopped coming out. The "Start of the New Generation", the first pilot issue of which came out in February this year, has nothing in common with the former magazine, says its editor-in-chief, Zvonimir Krstulovic.

"It is a different editorial office, a different publisher, a paper with a different name, and a different concept of the magazine", explains Krstulovic, saying that the "Start", after a bright period in the second half of the eighties stopped coming out, as assessed by the Croatian Association of Journalists, " in a very serious professional and commercial crisis". In the editorial to the first pilot issue, Krstulovic explains the choice of the name "Start of the New Generation". Recalling the youth paper the "Iskra" which he was editor of from 1987 to 1991, of the troubles and court bans (especially one in 1988 when the paper was prohibited because of the "criminal act of enemy propaganda", despite which it survived, Krstulovic wrote in his first editorial: "Some six years later I am starting all over again. I am starting with the new generation - the "Start of the New Generation".

The rationale of the temporary ban on the publication of the "Start of the New Generation", which arrived when the fourth issue of the magazine was about to come out, which should have borne the date of June 23, says that " with the mentioned layout of parts of the title in graphic terms, we should also say that every addition of the word "new" or in this case "new generation", precisely emphasizes and underlines the link the publisher of the new paper wishes to establish with the old one, for otherwise the use of part of the old name and the word "new" would be completely inexplicable and without a market-productive justification". Krstulovic sees such an explanation as "tragicomical", because the court deals in "possibilities of associations in readers, market productivity and graphic analyses".

This is yet another indicator, feels Krstulovic, that the ban is of a "political nature". He explains that the state, by way of imposed government boards appointed in the papers of this publisher has led the NIP Vjesnik to a disastrous situation, and now "has it in its hands", and through it actually makes its moves. What he indicated in the editorial of the pilot issue, by opening the new paper with memories of the court prohibition on his former paper, the editor in chief, Krstulovic, now says openly and with no doubt: "We expected a prohibition of the "Start of the New Generation". But not because of illegitimacy of the "theft" of name. "If we had not written about the kuna, as we wrote, if we had not written about Tudjman as we wrote, if we had not written about murders, the destruction of houses, the current terrorism here, the Latino-Americanization of Croatia and all current non-freedoms in Croatia as we wrote and if we did not intend to continue to write in that way - there would have been no prohibition", explains Krstulovic and adds that behind the court prohibition there is evidently the intention to "prevent the independent editorial office of the paper from creating a paper which will not bow before the current holders of power".

The publishing of the "Start of the New Generation" was prepared for a long time - since the spring of last year, when the transformation was completed of the "Slobodna Dalmacija", a Split daily which managed to retain an independent editorial policy the longest, but finally in March 1993 nevertheless ended up in the majority ownership of the state, whose banks sold it at a bargain price to Miroslav Kutla, one of the founders and "meritorious" members of HDZ. Zvonimir Krstulovic, like some twenty other journalists (including the initiators of the "Feral Tribune") left the new "Slobodna Dalmacija" and started working on the realization of his own project - the "Start of the New Generation".

After almost a year of appealing to different world foundations supporting independent media, which was not exacty fruitful, the paper finally came out, primarily thanks to the assistance of the Soros Foundation in Croatia

• the Open Society Foundation, which provided money for the costs of publishing the first several issues of the "Start of the New Generation".

Not only the editor-in-chief of the prohibited magazine and the members of the editorial office which, in addition to young journalists, comprises some journalists from the old "Slobodna Dalmacija"- but other experts on the media history in Croatia also think the latest ban is something deja vu. The "scenario" is flagrantly similar to the case of the "New Danas", a weekly owned by Emil Tedeschi, prepared by the complete team of the old "Danas", which its publisher - the enteprise "Danas", i.e. the governing board of the enterprise appointed by the state - "temporarily stopped publishing" in the spring of 1992, purportedly on account of "losses".

When the "New Danas" appeared on the market, the publisher of the "Danas" pressed charges, also on account of the name. The judge who got this case immediately, before the proceedings started, issued a ban on publication of the "New Danas" and then went on vacation. After the owner of the "New Danas" lodged an appeal against the ban, the judge accelerated the proceedings and finally ruled in favour of the defendant, so that the "New Danas" continued coming out under the same name. Some months later, it was nevertheless extinguished, because, as its owner then explained- it was impossible to work normally, as all other papers and turn a profit. In contrast to other, mainly state papers, Vjesnik's Printing Shop would not publish the "New Danas" despite the signed contract, and there were similar problems with its distribution, which was in the hands of the "Tisak", also a state enterprise.

Despite having adopted liberal laws regulating relations in the area of print, the power holders in Croatia, believes Zvonimir Krstulovic, have not given up their intention to silence the independent papers. Now they are only using different methods. After having "killed" the "New Danas" and the "Slobodna Dalmacija" with its independent editorial policy, they launched a charge against the "Novi-list - Glas Istre" (New Paper- the Voice of Istria) fortunatley without success and are now constantly seeking ways to prevent the newly-born independent media. Thus, they are trying to destroy the "Feral Tribune" financially - several Croatian officals have sued this paper, demanding enormous damages - and the "Start of the New Generation" - was prohibited, with the same objective of "silencing it", points out Krstulovic.

Describing the general climate in which independent media are currently working in Croatia, primarily those expressly critical towards the present structures of power and other negative phenomena of Croatian reality, Krstulovic emphasizes the increasing number of threats these papers get. "There are no pressures on the part of the authorities or their officials. But, anonymous individuals threatened to kill some journalists of the "Start of the New Generation", and there were threats of blowing up the entire editorial office, says Krstulovic.

The editorial office of the "Start of the New Generation" says that the articles prepared for the fourth, prohibited issue of the paper, will nevertheless reach the readers. Editor-in-chief Krstulovic did not wish to disclose how that would be done, but according to what can be inferred from the statement of the editorial office in connexion with the court ban, the knot could be untied by a small play on words: "When we initiated the "Start of the New Generation" we had in mind exclusively a paper which would mark the BEGINNING OF A NEW GENERATION, but not of a generation of peers, but of a generation of free-thinkers, young journalists and old sly ones... We thought we could contribute to the presentation of different views on subjects of interest, and to the condemnation of the incitement of war and instigation of national,racial or religious hostility and all forms of discrimination". It seems that another new "Start..." could perhaps soon appear on the Croatian media scene.

VESNA ROLLER