SDP WILL PROTEST AGAINST ABUSE OF ABUSE OF POLICE IN OSIJEK

OSIJEK, Dec 28 (Hina) - The Social Democratic Party (SDP) will lodge an official complaint with the Ethics Commission because the offices of the Osijek-Baranja police department are being used for collecting signatures supporting the presidential candidacy of Vladimir Seks, a vice-president of the SDP Head Committee, Zeljko Malevic, said on Tuesday. Malevic told reporters that some employees with the police department had complained about this and that some of them had refused to support Seks's candidacy with their signatures, claiming they felt 'threatened'. "This speaks a lot about how those who are in power in Croatia today understand the de-politicising of the police. This is an example of sheer abuse, to which the Ethics Commission and the political public should react," Malevic said, adding such signature- gathering was "utterly immoral, unfair, politically impermissible and illegal." The head of the Osijek County police department, Dubravko Jezercic, who was away on a business trip, in a statement to Hina dismissed Malevic's claims. He said signatures supporting Seks's candidacy had not been collected in the offices of the police department and called on Malevic to publicly disclose evidence of such activity. (hina) mm rml