EGP News

Press Release:EUROPEAN GREENS CONDEMN ARREST OF OVER 150 GREEN ACTIVISTS,POLITICIANS AND CITIZENS IN ZAGREB, CROATIA

Friday July 16 2010 11:50:00 AM

Vlasta Toth, Co-Spokesperson of the EGP’s observer party in Croatia, Zelena Lista, and Josip Kregar, vice-president of the City Council of Zagreb, were arrested and held in custody on Thursday 15th July because of their participation in a peaceful protest against a very controversial construction project in the historic centre of Zagreb. Another 150 activists were arrested, including Tomislav Tomasovic, leader of Green Action Zagreb( Friends of the Earth International) and Vedran Horvat, Director of the Heinrich Böll Foundation office in Zagreb.

The arrests took place on the orders of the Mayor of Zagreb, Milan Bandic (recently expelled from the Social Democratic Party) and the Minister of Interior,Tomislav Karamarko (member of the governing National Conservative Party HDZ).

Minutes after her release on Thursday evening, Vlasta Toth expressed her anger at being deprived of her legitimate right to protest freely: “We are protesting against the illegal start of construction works in our beautiful city. To be deprived of this right feels as if we are being going back 20 years. Court cases against the construction are still pending. Zagreb citizens are furious that Zagreb authorities under responsibility of the Mayor Milan Bandic seem to have given permission by organising their paperwork in a fraudulent way. The whole affair needs a thorough and independent investigation to see who is responsible for what and to bring those who may have acted fraudulently to court“.

Vedran Horvat, Director of the Zagreb office of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, said: “It's part of my job to observe topical situations in Croatia. It felt rather unusual to be temporarily held in custody without being given any real explanation or reason. These developments call for the urgent attention of Croatian and European institutions.”

Josip Kregar, vice-president of the City Council of Zagreb, said that: “This intervention is a police coup against democracy!”

“To keep a hundred and fifty peaceful protesters in custody for participation in a peaceful demonstration seems somewhat outrageous for a country that is already undergoing the process of EU-accession.” says Philippe Lamberts, Co-Spokesperson of the European Green Party. “Protesters were released with the condition that they are banned from entering the area of the construction works for a period of eight days. This is not the way to treat peaceful protesters and falls far short of the standards to be expected from a country that aspires to EU membership”

The European Green Party stresses the need for a thorough investigation. Philippe Lamberts concluded: “As European Greens we are of the opinion that Croatia should become a member of the European Union. Therefore it is also in our interest that the rights of citizens are respected, that one can speak of good governance and that judicial processes are respected and treated with the utmost seriousness.”