CROATIAN HELSINKI COMMITTEE CRITICISES CONDUCT OF STATE AUTHORITIES

ZAGREB, March 28 (Hina) - The Croatian Helsinki Human Rights Committee (HHO) is increasingly concerned about the state authorities' recent acts which have been systematically violating the basic rights of Croatian citizens, HHO president Zarko Puhovski told reporters on Wednesday. According to Puhovski, the crucial problem is that the incumbent authorities have taken the Constitution as a means for resolving personnel and other daily political issues. Puhovski judges that frequent changes to the Constitution and the dissolution of a parliamentary chamber represent "violent political behaviour." The HHO president also believes that the adoption of a law on the establishment of an office for fighting corruption and organised crime (USKOK) is an open attempt to reduce some of the basic human rights under the pretext of establishing security in the citizens' everyday life. Another such attempt is a proposal on new customs powers (granting the customs service classic police powers), with the prevention of cross-border smuggling being the protected value. "We fear that these, and many other acts by the authority have seriously undermined its legitimacy," Puhovski says, adding it is difficult to believe that in January 2000 the citizens elected new authorities only to see them play with the Constitution and human rights instead of dealing with basic social problems. Therefore, Puhovski says, "every form of civilised protest against such unsustainable policy will be considered not only allowed but necessary and should radical changes in the authorities' conduct not take place, their replacement will become an unavoidable topic for everybody." (hina) sb rml