HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN CROATIA UNSATISFACTORY - GOLJP

ZAGREB, Dec 28 (Hina) - The Citizens' Committee for Human Rights (GOLJP) expressed dissatisfaction with the human rights situation in Croatia in a statement released on Monday. "It is true that the year 1998 has brought certain progress as regards human rights, but we are still far from being satisfied with the existing situation", said the statement, signed by GOLJP president Zoran Pusic. The Committee believes that the practice is still in strong opposition to the laws, which are on the European level, as well as to the Government's "in principle" respect for and realisation of human rights. Croatia will not have the right to call itself a state of the rule of law until it is itself ready to process grave cases of human rights violations, regardless of the victims' nationality, or that of the perpetrators. The Committee also believes that the Government's "in principle" interest in human rights will not be held authentic as long as Croatia "keeps questioning the activities of the Hague Tribunal, dubbing it the enemy of Croats and stigmatising citizens who are willing to cooperate with it". The struggle for human rights will remain one of the priority tasks for all those who wish to live in a democratic and civilised country, as long as non-government organisations are named instruments of intelligence activity from the highest state positions, said Pusic. (hina) rml