HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ENDS DISCUSSION ON PENAL CODE

ZAGREB, March 13 (Hina) - The Croatian Parliament House of Representatives on Wednesday completed its discussion on three bills relating to the Croatian penal code, which were sent into urgent procedure by the Government. According to Justice Minister Miroslav Separovic, the final bills were actually 'a small penal reform', aimed at removing irregularities spotted during the implementation of penal laws. Amendments and a vote on the bills are scheduled for Friday. #L# As regards the proposed regulation of the indictable act of libel and offense, Opposition representatives warned that there was a danger that expression of opinion might again be treated as offense. Regulations which are aimed at protection of the President of the state, the Parliament, the Government, the Constitutional and the Supreme Court from libel and offense mean the return of expression of opinion treated as offense, Petar Zitnik (Croatian Peasants' Party, HSS) said. Josko Kovac (HSS) said that the adoption of such a decision in the Croatian penal code would open the door to new political trials. Bozo Kovacevic (Croatian Social-Liberal Party, HSLS) and Antun Vujic (Social-Democratic Party, SDP) spoke about regulations regarding making state or military secrets public. Kovacevic said that persons who give away state or military secrets should be put to trial and not those who published them. Vujic stressed that not only the president of an institution should be protected from offense, but the institution as a whole. Vladimir Seks (Croatian Democratic Party, HDZ) said that Opposition comments on 'expression of opinion treated as offense' resulted from malicious and tendentious interpretation of proposed amendments. Croatia was introducing into its penal code only those things which were suitable for democratic countries, Seks said, citing examples from West-European legislation. (hina) rm mm 131957 MET mar 96