Uproar over Film "Storm over Krajina"

Bozo Knezevic’s documentary "Storm over Krajina" - produced by an independent Zagreb producer, Factum - was finally shown on Croat state TV, on the show "Latin Letters" aired at prime time, eight in the evening, October 1. The fifty-minute-long film depicts the executions of civilians in the villages of Grubori, Varivode, Gosici and Plavno in the course of operation "Storm". For the most part, the film deals with the executions of, by rule, elderly men and women in the said villages, but the opening sequences are a political overture of a sort. Without a single comment, archive shots of some crucial events which, de facto, contributed to the crimes committed, were run. The film opens with the speech the acting Croat Reconstruction Minster Radimir Cacic gave in Parliament immediately following the change of power in the country, describing how - at the very start of Operation Storm - he entered Knin, intact at the point, to find house after house in flames on his return latter on. Bluntly, Cacic concluded that homes in Croatia were demolished not only as a result of Serb aggression but by "rascals among us" as well. His comment caused an avalanche of protests from HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) MPs who, enraged, quit the session on the spot.

In the very next cadre, the camera focuses Dobrica Cosic attending the exhumation of the earthly remains of Serb victims from WW II in Prebilovci, Herzegovina, and the soundtrack of the pathetic speech he gave on the occasion is played. The sequence is followed by an almost identical scene, shot at a different location this time. Jazilovka pit: shattered bones of slaughtered Croat civilians, ustasha and home guardsmen are being excavated while Ivan Vekic, the future HDZ Interior Minister, delivers a patriotic speech... Then come: Milosevic, Tudjman, Seselj, the forming of the ZNG (Croatian National Guard Corps), Korenica Serbs pledging on the eve of the war that each and every Serb victim fallen to Croat hand would be avenged and, finally, the capture of Goran Hadzic at Plitvice on Catholic Easter 1991, considered by many to be the true beginning of the war in Croatia.

After the first ten introductory minutes of his film, Knezevic goes on to his true subject: the killings of Serbs, arson and plunder of their homes in the course of Operation Storm and in its immediate aftermath. The whole thing is conceived as a succession of scenes followed by no comments whatsoever, incorporated into the dialogue between the two major figures of the Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Ivan Zvonimir Cicak and dr. Zarko Puhovski. Among other things, the documentary reveals facts concerning HVO (Croat Defense Council) forces, according to which more than 400 civilians were killed and over 20 000 houses burnt down in sector South (north Dalmatia and southern Lika). Along with the stark images of slaughtered old men and women, the speech of late president Tudjman calling on Serbs to stay on in Croatia while offering them his personal guarantees for their wellbeing is heard. This is followed by the footage of Tudjman’s Knin speech when the Father of the Croat nation wished the fleeing Serbs a safe trip, adding that they had left without having time to bring along their foreign savings and their soiled underpants.

The film was followed by a discussion in the studio in which lawyers Anto Nobilo and Zeljko Olujic, journalists Drago Pilsel, Vedrana Rudan and Maja Freundlich and the author of the film himself, Bozo Knezevic, took part. Three reports - depicting the sufferings of civilians from the fleeing refugees’ convoy in the aftermath of Operation Storm, that of the execution of war prisoners on the Miljevacki plateau and the confession of a soldier sentenced to 14 years (later to be reduced to 11) for the murder of two elders during the Operation itself - were shown. All the die-hards of the nationalistic right declined the invitation flatly: General Janko Bobetko (who, even before seeing the film, judged it to be "pro-Serb"), Giovanni Maksan, Admiral Davor Domazet Loso. The true storm broke out in the course of the TV debate itself: Olujic and Freundlich argued that crimes committed during Operation Storm by the Croats amounted to isolated incidents which have since been dealt with, for the most part successfully, by the Croatian legal system; Nobilo, Pilsel and Vedrana Rudan claimed that there were instances of veritable war crimes, unpunished as of yet. The first two claimed that the film is essentially anti-Croat, the opposing side that such a film was needed and, to a certain extent, even belated.

Simultaneously with the airing of the show, spectators were polled. Out of 2168 registered calls, 75 percent of the viewers took the stand that, regardless of who committed them, legal proceedings against the perpetrators of these crimes should be instituted. The remaining 25 percent took the opposite stand. The following day, rightists from all over the country ran amuck. On the spot, HDZ called for the resignations of the state TV’s general manager Mirko Galic and Latin Letters host, anchorman Denis Latin. HSP (Croat Party of Right) convened a protest rally to be held at the doorstep of the state TV building. Lines in the telephone exchange of the state TV "buzzed" all day long: threats, insults, curses...The common subject of all incoming calls - Denis Latin is a communist, Bozo Knezevic a Serb, his film pro-Serb (thus, anti-Croat), the whole "assault" carried out with the sole purpose of currying favor with "Racan and Mesic". Similar reactions came via e-mail from all over - former Yugoslavia, Australia, Scandinavia, West Europe - but this time with a greater number of positive responses. For their part, most newspaper commentators in Croatia praised the fact that Knezevic’s film had been aired at all, particularly since this was done on the first channel of the national TV.

Practically all public opinion surveys carried out later on the results of which were published in various dailies throughout Croatia came up with the same result: the "silent" majority upholds legal proceedings against all and any alleged war-crime criminals. In a telephone poll carried out by the daily Jutarnji List, 74 percent of the interviewed opted for the institution of legal proceedings against them, while a poll of the Media Meter public opinion agency showed that 51 percent of their subjects found Knezevic’s film to be authentic.

"I was astounded by the human race as a whole. I felt guilty for it all, not as a Croat, but as a human being. I believe it is high time we ceased being Croats, Serbs, leftists and rightists and start being simply humans. Let us stop doing to others what we do not want done to ourselves and let us stop defending such behavior", was the comment of dr. Drazen Lalic, a sociologist.

"Only those confronted with the crimes committed following Operation Storm for the first time during the TV show had reason to be appalled", said retired General Martin Spegelj. To his mind, it is time for Croat citizens to come face to face with the dark side of the homeland war, a view to which the general added the remark that certain opinions regarding the Croat army stated during the show had been flat-rate since "the entire army did not burn down houses and kill old people; this dirty job was carried out by the dogs of war operating on the margins of the chaotic situation."

"It is essential that all sides involved in wars fought in the region tackle the painful subject and come to turns with it among themselves", said Bozo Knezevic, the author of the film.

"The results of the polling are the best indicator as to the maturity of the Croat public and to my mind they are the best possible comment on the communication issued by HDZ", were the words of Denis Latin, author and anchorman of the most disputed show in the history of the Croat television.

The negative response to the controversial show would have been much more benign had the Croat state TV undergone necessary reforms following the general elections. But, full two years later, the "do not sway" policy has strengthened the radical right. (Mis)informed by the very same state TV, the public had no way of inferring why Croatian generals were being brought before the Hague Tribunal, seeing that they have committed no crimes...

The show, the impact it made on the public and the results of public opinion polls show that, in fact, the general public is much more inclined to changes, reforms and even the instituting of legal proceedings against alleged war-criminals than the authorities which have shoved the problem aside, partly out of cowardice, partly out of fear that the public would resent any such move. If the government persists in the policy adopted so far, this will inevitably result in its defeat at next elections, and its avoiding to confront "the dark side of the homeland war" in its isolation by the international community. The paradox being that the disputed film dealing with war crimes was aired within the framework of the Entertainment Program of the Croat TV. The informative and documentary editorial staff of the national TV company is still convinced that HDZ has stepped down from power only temporarily. If no signs of change in the editorial policy of the media house are detected in the foreseeable future, this may well turn out to be absolutely true.

Thanks for posting this Hoplite. A far cry from the stuff HRT was showing when I was in Croatia! My favourite was "Franjo Tudjman, the George Washington of Croatia," a PR puff piece produced by Sun Studios in the US, a production studio widely used by US PR and advertising firms. It was cleverly produced to appear as a documentary aired in the US and then subtitled and sometimes dubbed over in "New Croatian." I laughed til I cried at that one. I also wondered how many Croat tax kuna were used to pay for it.

Sie haben Rechts, Herr General! It's true that the conduct of Croat troops during Op Storm varied widely -- some very professional, some chaotic and brutal -- I heard from Croat contacts of some instances where officers of professional units found it necessary to shoot some crazed ZNG (Home Guards) during Op Storm. Following Op Storm, most of the miscreants were paramilitaries and ZNG.

What I found troubling, however, was that I was repeatedly told by CROPOL and regular HV units that they had "no authority" over these roving ZNG bands which were terrorising the elderly (and attempting to terrorise a certain Humanitarian Officer). It was clear that there was a directive from on high that these bands were to be given free reign. I could elaborate, if anyone is interested.

It is hard to believe that anyone in Croatia could have been ignorant of the criminal goings-on during and after Op Storm, though. There was a HUGE traffic jam of looters all over Sector North for about six weeks after Storm, and a large number of looting parties still active after that. The numbers only dwindled after the snows set in and many areas became inaccessible to ordinary vehicles. How could anyone have not known?

It sounds like most of the footage in this documentary was shot in former Sector South. I wonder if there was any mention of the Dvor Massacre, the Vrginmost executions, etc., in former Sector North?

Oops. Need to clarify a bit.

During the first week or so after Op Storm, there actually were regular HV and CROPOL units involved in the looting and destruction. A few examples: In the village of Perna (near Topusko), I saw CROPOL igniting houses and driving off with looted tractors a few days after Storm. I saw other such sights in the following days.

It was also common, early on, for an HV unit to enter a village with detailed maps, mark certain houses "Hrvatska Kuca" and then blow up the rest of the houses in the village. And the entire village of Paukovac (north of Dvor) was demolished by explosives VERY PROFESSIONALLY on Sept. 26, 1995.

So there were notable exceptions to what I wrote above.

Please do!

I've got to run before the bank closes, but will give one example among many: After Op Storm, I regularly visited a lame and blind granny "Baba Marija" in the village of Komora (about half-way between Glina and Dvor na Uni), bringing her food, getting water from the well, chopping firewood for her, etc. I knew the HV units stationed in the area well and had good relations with them.

One day in early November of 1995, I noticed a red-eyed crazed ZNG soldier in uniform looting the house next door to "Baba Marija," who occasionally, for no reason, fired his automatic rifle in various directions. I was used to such, and went on in to see Baba Marija. While I was in her house, the ZNG guy started shooting at Baba Marija's house and raising quite a ruckus, cussing and so forth. My Serb interpreter was absolutely terrified. I sent her to the basement with directions on how to escape to the nearest UN OP if something happened to me, and went out on Baba Marija's front porch, hands on my hips, and scolded him "school teacher" style. It worked, and he departed to the south after setting the house next door ablaze while I completed my tasks at Baba Marija's.

I was also headed south, to the home of a paralysed granny in the southern part of Komora. But tired of such episodes, I detoured slightly north to the local HV post, and complained about the crazed ZNG guy, citing Tudjman's public directive that humanitarian workers were to be given safe passage throughout the former Sectors. The HV commander sent a patrol to check out the guy. When they returned, the HV commander turned white as a sheet and informed me that "he had no jurisdiction over this man." Well, I was also used to that by then, too. "I see, and what a shame" I said. He looked extremely embarrassed. "Well, who does have authority over this man, who is after all wearing a Croatian uniform and violating your president's order?" I asked. He said I would have to go far to the south, to the Dvor CROPOL station, as only CROPOL had such jurisdiction. "That means I must pass this man on the road, which could be dangerous," I replied. He looked even more embarrassed.

As I was so sick of this whole thing, and also curious to know what the CROPOL Chief in Dvor would do, I did indeed pass the loon on the road and went to see the Chief in Dvor. I informed the Chief of what the HV commander had told me and he was rather annoyed. He got on the radio and had an exchange with the commander, then upon hearing of the indentity of the loon in question, he also changed expression (looked darn scared) and curtly informed that this was "beyond the scope of his powers." "I see," I said. "I suppose this must go to a higher level, then, with my superiors dealing with your superiors in Zagreb." He replied, "It will not come to any satisfaction."

Indeed he was right. Obvious lies and obfuscations on the part of the Zagreb officials.

Oh, on the way back from Dvor to Topusko, we saw this man heading into the home of an elderly couple (mixed Serb-Croat) with his rifle blazing. I would have stopped, had I been alone, but my driver and interpreter were so terrified and knew I had no right to put them in danger. I left before daybreak the next morning with an UNMO patrol including Brits and Dutch officers (who also knew the couple) and discovered this saintly couple had managed to calmly talk down the crazed man, asking about his family, etc., and they were unharmed. What an amazing old couple they were!

Baba Janja, a 98-year-old granny from Plaski stranded just north of Dvor, was not so fortunate. The loon butchered her three weeks later. I still have the picture I took of her during my last visit before her murder.

Oh, I even saw them looting toilets (yes toilets!) from Serb houses in former Sector North. They took windows, doors, wiring, you-name-it! Amazing! In some easily-accessible areas which had already been heavily looted, they started taking roof tiles as early as October 1995. Brought ladders with them and everything.

BTW, my husband (UNMO at the time, whom I had not yet met) was in Slunj when it fell during Op Storm. He and another UNMO colleague stationed themselves in front of the house they had lived in when the HV came through, and asked the HV officer in charge to please leave their landlady's house alone. The officer promised that he would. After a few hours, a band of ZNG appeared and began pouring gasoline around the house. My husband and his friend fetched the HV commander and asked him to stop the ZNG from destroying the house, as he had promised.

When the HV commander arrived at the house, he took one look at the ZNG, and said that, sadly, there was nothing he could do, as did not "have any authority in that matter with THESE guys."

Thanks for the flagski. I have at hand photocopies of the 'oaths of loyalty' that non-Croats had to sign in early 1991, in particular those working at the Sibenik alloy works whilst expert western reporters we were speaking of Croatia's historic break from Communism.

Let us not forget that 99.9% of the attention is on 'Operation Storm' despite the fact that the Croats have played a full and active role in the wars atrocities since 1991. Ironically, it was British Soldiers in Gorni Vakuf (?place/memory?!) in 1993 who highlighted that the Croats were barbequing Bosnian Moslem civilians. The Ministry of Defense tried to sit on it but 'the cat was out of the bag' as they say...

Am still trying to dig up Milena Gabanelli's front line Croatia/Vukovar videos she did for RAI when she was journalist and for which the Vatican carried out a concerted slander campaign against her because her reports did not back the Croats unconditionally at the time. She was due to give evidence with regards Vukovar but recieved death threats from you know who and has now dropped of the radar...

Regs,

VRN

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