ASSAULT ON NOVI LIST

AIM Zagreb, April 7, 1996

The sign that the arrow was fired came from the television screen: "Novi list and its journalist Roman Latkovic have exceeded all limits. It is necessary to put an end to it!" This was the conclusion of a commentary read in the central news program of the Croat Radio-Television, on January 13, 1996, as a response of the authorities to the text titled "Tudjman Definitely Proved to be a Brutal Dictator".

Latkovic wrote about Mr. Tudjman's refusal to nominate the mayor of Zagreb from among the opposition and demanded in a fierce manner that "all forces in Croatia which use their heads" remove Mr. Tudjman from office. Writing about political phenomena without any censorship is a general characteristic of the editorial policy of Novi list, and the controversial text was just a direct cause for reaction of the authorities, as the editorial staff believe.

Already on January 23, a crew of financial police arrived in Novi list. After their findings had been published, it became obvious that they had had a clear task: to find any offence, and if there were none, to make it up! Then, to mete out such a penalty which would prevent further publication of this "anti-Croat and anti-state" newpaper, as Novi list - along with Feral Tribune, Nacional, Arkzin and Globus - was called at the session of the Main Board of the ruling HDZ held in the end of February.

On March 28, a decision arrived: Novi list must immediately pay 3 million and 700 thousand German marks! The amount equal almost to the value of the entire Novi list. The Italian Union, whose printing equipment which arrived as a donation from Italy is used by Novi list, is also punished. The Italian Union must pay 6.5 million marks, because no customs duties were paid for the imported equipment!

Although Novi list has operated for years in the same manner - so far with the approval of tax authorities - the financial police "found" that the journal was not paying 20 per cent of the so-called tax for services rendered, since it printed other jourals in its printing-works. Among other, Glas Istre (as a joint product with Novi list) is printed in Novi list, La voce del Popolo in Italian, Karlovacki tjednik, Vijenac, Arkzin and other editions.

According to previous interpretation of regulations, Novi list was not liable to pay the 10-per-cent tax for services rendered, just like all the other printing works in Croatia. This was the decision of the competent Revenue Service of the Republic of Croatia dating back from 1993.

Similar is the case with the customs duty. The disputable equipment (printing press), was a gift to Italian Union from Rijeka donated back in 1988 by an agreement between Italy and Yugoslavia signed by former prime ministers Goria and Mikulic. The donation whose purpose was advancement of publishing for the Italian community, was not effectuated until 1991 when the agreement was, unchanged, taken over by the Republic of Croatia. The equipment finally arrived towards the end of 1994, and since it was a donation, no customs duties were paid for it.

The publisher of the Italian Union, "Edit" rented its equipment to Novi list (and in this way rounded off its printing technology), and in return "Edit"'s editions are printed in it free of charge. Another state institution certified that this business deal was legal. Central Customs Administration of the Republic of Croatia, in a letter signed by its head, Josip Knezic, and dated February 8, 1996, wrote as follows: "Tariff concession has been granted for import of printing oress to be used for printing of newspapers in Italian language, that is, for cultural, scientific and educational purposes of the Italian minority in Croatia. If this equipment is rented, but continues to be used for this purpose, this Administration finds that such use is not contrary to provisions of the Customs Law".

This means that, as long as La Voce del Popolo is printed by Novi list free of charge - both Novi list and the Italian Union are clean and no customs duties need to be paid.

However, the local office of the Customs Administration seems to think just the opposite in the past few days - Novi list and the Italian Union, as customs officers from Rijeka claim - owe the state eight million marks of customs duties! It is interesting that "Edit" is not among those punished. Possible reason for it may be the fact that the founder of this publisher is the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia, so it would mean that the state which has initiated the penalty would also be punished.

The rule of the Croat Democratic Community (HDZ) was often the target of criticism of commentators of Novi list, bad news for Croatia were not concealed on the pages of this journal. For that reason, the administration of the journal was very careful to obey regulations - for instance, before paying wages and fees, all, very high taxes and contributions were regularly paid, although other newspaper publishers often evade taxes by paying their associates in cash, or through tranfer-accounts. Even state-owned journals do it. But, "we could not find anything of the kind in Novi list", half a year ago, Vice Prime Minister, Borislav Skegro "complained" in a private conversation with a journalist, who later loyally repeated this statement to his colleagues in Novi list.

Veljko Vicevic, Editor-in-Chief of Novi list, in the editorial commentary published on April 3 on the first page of the daily - a day after the fine had been determined - referred to Hrvoje Sarinic, intimate associate of Mr. Tudjman, accusing him of having ordered the attack against Novi list. In the last elections, Mr. Sarinic was put in charge of the region of Rijeka by the HDZ. During the election campaign, he violently attacked the editorial policy of Novi list, and even decided to start a newspaper called Hrvatski rijecki list (The Croat Rijeka Newspaper).

The journal proved a failure after its very first issue (among the texts in it were even those reprinted from Novi list), and its founder also fared badly - Hrvoje Sarinic lost the elections for the Assembly from the mayor of Rijeka, Social Democrat, Slavko Linic.

The loser did not give up, Veljko Vicevic claims, and with the strike against Novi list, wishes to take over its printing press and start publishing a new paper called Primorje. Mr. Sarinic published his response in Novi list in which he rejected all accusations, claiming that he had learnt about the investigation of the financial police "only a few days ago". His response includes the following, too: "Rijeka, the seaside, Istria and Gorski kotar are a media space of more than 500 thousand people in which Novi list with its other editions, rules sovereignly and monopolistically for a number of years already. This is not normal, it is not good for democracy in our country. That is why I was personally more than happy when I learnt that a group of citizens initiated foundation of a new daily newspaper in our space...".

The initial commentaries on meted fines point to the part of the authorities and the ruling party which is opposed to democratization of Croatia. It is, namely, believed that the case of Novi list will develop into a political scndal which will prevent reception of Croatia into the Council of Europe expected to take place in May. It turned out that the printing press was still officially the property of the Italian Foreign Ministry, so journals in Italy already started publishing articles such as: "Italy Donates - Croatia Snatches Away and Collects Customs Duties for Italian Property".

Some of the Croat opposition parties started sending letters of support, the case will be a test of "legality" of the state, and journalists' solidarity. The citizens of Rijeka are optimistic for the time being: when privatization of Rijeka journals took place in 1992, state authorities installed a management board in Novi list headed by deputy minister of the police. The regional party, Rijeka Democratic Alliance, collected 17 thousand signatures of the citizens in just a few days, and the petition forced the management board to withdraw and the journal became property of those who created it.

The decision about the fine prescribes the possibility of an appeal in which the administration and the journalists of Novi list can prove that they have obeyed the law. But, the decision also states that in case the appeal is ignored, forcible collection of fines will take place...

IGOR VUKIC