he murder of a journalist in the centre of Zagreb has shocked Croatia. A recent string of violent attacks in the capital shows the EU candidate has so far failed to tackle organized crime.
Journalist Ivo Pukanić was killed on Thursday evening along with marketing director Niko Franjić when the former’s car blew up outside his office in downtown Zagreb. There is no trace of the attackers. Mr Pukanić, the 47-year-old founder, editor in chief and owner of the independent weekly Nacional, frequently wrote about corruption and human rights violations. In 2003 he gained international notoriety for interviewing Croatia’s former General Ante Gotovina, who was wanted by the UN Yugoslavia tribunal in The Hague on suspicion of war crimes.
Controversial methods
The interview earned Mr Pukanić a Croatian journalism prize but also confirmed his reputation as a journalist not shy of using controversial methods, such as contacting the secret services or mafia figures. Earlier this year he narrowly escaped an attempt on his life when gunmen opened fire on him in broad daylight while walking on the street. Last summer he refused further police protection.
His assassination is the fourth to rock Zagreb in recent months. Last month saw the brutal murder of Ivina Hodak, the 26-year-old daughter of a well-known lawyer suspected of links with Croatia’s mafia. The woman’s killing prompted Croatia’s prime minister to sack the justice and interior ministers as well as the head of the national police. The move was widely welcomed in Croatia but Thursday’s murder once again proves the authorities unable to quell the violence.
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