SPLIT NGOS POINT TO CONTINUED HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

SPLIT, July 9 (Hina) - Non-governmental organisations in Split, Croatia's biggest coastal city, on Sunday harshly criticised Croatia's new authorities for failing to put an end to evictions, particularly in cases when tenants are Croatian Serbs. NGOs' representatives believe this is being done by the remnants of the former, Croatian Democratic Union-led (HDZ) authorities intending to cause chaos. An eviction's success depends on nationality. Serbs are thrown into the street on the first eviction order, whereas attempts to evict Croats are repeated up to ten or more times, until they are provided with alternate accommodation, representatives of the Democracy Centre, the Altruist Centre, and the Dalmatian Human Rights Committee told Sunday's news conference. According to Ivica Vojko of the Altruist Centre, it is imperative to change local authorities, especially in the judiciary. In the Split region, nothing has changed in this field, he said. Democracy Centre's Semina Loncar said court eviction orders were based on arguments stating that the tenancy right bearer did not use the flat for six months, as well as on "false testimonies and the former authorities' logic of ethnic cleansing, which the new authorities are pursuing." The NGOs' representatives illustrated their claims with numerous cases the authorities had been notified of. Loncar said authority representatives were turning a deaf ear to appeals despite, she added, their mouths being full of human rights and democracy. The only exception is the cabinet of the President of the Republic which, Loncar said, at least responds civilly. The Altruist Centre's Pavle Lukcevic said the practice of human rights violations contradicted MPs constantly speaking about a democratic and law-based state. He urged Croatia's MPs to attend on July 11 the announced eviction of the family of Vojislav Sirar whose eviction, Lukcevic asserted, is completely illegal. (hina) ha jn