ROUND TABLE ON VICTIMS OF YUGOSLAV COMMUNISM HELD IN ZAGREB

ZAGREB, Dec 22 (Hina) - A round table on the victims of Yugoslav communism called "In the Name of the People" was held in Zagreb on Wednesday. The round table, which was organised by the Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences and the International Association of Former Political Prisoners and Victims of Communism on the tenth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, gathered scientists, public figures, and political prisoners from the former Yugoslav federation. The manager of the Ivo Pilar Institute, Vlado Sakic, said the aim of the round table was to discuss the foundations of the crimes and the consequences, and not to look for the culprits and individual responsibility for Yugoslav communist crimes. Jure Knezovic, the president of the International Association, said the "black book of communism" mentioned 100 million people killed by the communist hand, without the inclusion of crimes committed during communist rule in the former Yugoslavia. "The parties which have come out of former communist parties are not parties with an immaculate past," Knezovic said. He asked if anybody "has heard that the SDP (Social Democratic Party), removing the SKH (Communist Association of Croatia) caul, has repented, apologised, or at least distanced itself from the horrible crimes of their spiritual predecessor, the communist party." Ludvig Canzek, a member of Slovenia's Association of Former Political Prisoners and Victims of Communism, advocated the establishment of a Hague tribunal for communist crimes. Josip Jurcevic said Yugoslav data showed that between 1945 and 1947, 130,000 people were killed without a trial, while Anto Bakovic said 623 priests, seminarists, divinity students, and nuns were killed during the communist rule in the former Yugoslavia. (hina) ha mm