A Facebook scandal, Croatian style

12/12/2008

Croatian bloggers are up in arms over what they say is a blatant attempt to suppress free speech. Their criticism aims all the way to the political top.

By Zeljana Grubisic for Southeast European Times – 12/12/08

A man attends a demonstration last week at Zagreb's main square. Thousands of Croatians gathered at anti-government protests organised by a Facebook group. [Getty Images]

Facebook may be a good way to rally people around a cause, but as one Croatian user found out, it can also get you in trouble -- if you set out to lampoon people in high places.

In March, 22-year-old Niksa Klecak started a Facebook group called "I'll bet I'll find 5,000 Facebook users who don't like [Croatian Prime Minister Ivo] Sanader". His efforts won him the attention of Croatia's police, who detained him for questioning late last month.

The reason? The home page for Klecak's page had displayed a photo montage showing the prime minister in a Nazi uniform. Police said they wanted to know if Klecak possessed any Nazi materials -- prohibited under Croatian law.

Klecak and his supporters, however, claim the move was politically motivated.

"A brilliant mind in the police had declared this group, with its owner (Klecak), a threat against the president of the government (Ivo Sanader), and has done all in its power to find the culprit that dared to say that s/he does not like the prime minister," writes Mrak at Pollitika.

"Yup, that's how it is when one dares to touch the government…as it was then, so it is now…do not touch the untouchables," palomina agrees.

"The EU parliament adopted a resolution that protects the rights of internet surfers and propagates the freedom of expression and thought on the internet," pulicer recalls. "The resolution emphasises that freedom of expression is one of the basic human values accepted in all EU countries, and concrete measures are to be taken for its defence."

Following up on this comment, Normalus suggests that Klecak file a complaint with the top EU court for obstruction of human rights. "The EU should investigate what our politicians are doing," he suggests.

Voicing a different position, Sadako's apprentice chides the prime minister's critics for getting carried away.

"Sanader is not some super powerful czar that dictates whom to arrest. … This is an error of a corrupt system, a work of some local strongman or a group with particular interest. Let's be reasonable, let's not be alike a mass of hollering hooligans, yelling at Sanader. It's not his fault for everything happening to us. This is the work of the vermin on much lower [political] levels," he writes.

But most bloggers seem unconvinced. "Such violations of human rights are shameful, really shameful. We should stand up against them and not be frightened," says Trkaonica.