Quake aftershocks keep people out of homes in Croatia

December 30, 2020

PETRINJA, Croatia (AP) — A series of aftershocks jolted central Croatia Wednesday, a day after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake killed at least seven people, injured dozens and left several towns and villages in ruins.

The strongest, 4.7-magnitude tremor was recorded early Wednesday near the heavily damaged town of Petrinja, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of the Croatian capital, Zagreb. Many people had spent the night in tents, their cars or military barracks.

In the hard-hit village of Majske Poljane, where five people died in the earthquake, a little boy could be seen sleeping inside a van, wearing a cap on a chilly December morning. Sobbing villagers said they received blankets, food and other aid but don’t know what they will do next. Rain that fell overnight in the area turned the dust from the rubble into mud, adding to the hardship.

“We can’t say ‘Good morning,’ It is not good,” Petrinja mayor Darinko Dumbovic told Croatian radio. “We had the third and fourth tremors this morning, short ones but strong. What hasn’t fallen off before is falling now from the ruins of Petrinja.”

“Fear has crept into people," he said. Dumbovic said his office was destroyed in the earthquake so the city authorities are scrambling to function. He said help is pouring in from all sides of the country and “solutions must be found.”

Rescuers spent the night searching through rubble of heavily damaged buildings looking for possible survivors. Officials said a 12-year-old girl died in Petrinja, a town of some 25,000 people. Another five people were killed in a nearly destroyed village close to the town. At least 26 people were hospitalized with injuries.

Tuesday's quake, which was the strongest in Croatia since the introduction of the modern seismic measurement system, was felt throughout the region, including neighboring Bosnia, Serbia and Slovenia. The central Croatian region was also struck by a 5.2 earthquake on Monday and seismologists say several more aftershocks could be expected.

AP writers Dusan Stojanovic and Jovana Gec contributed to this story from Belgrade, Serbia.

Moderate 5.0 magnitude quake hits Croatia, damages buildings

December 28, 2020

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — A moderate earthquake hit central Croatia near the capital of Zagreb early Monday, triggering panic and damaging some buildings in towns south of the city. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Croatia’s seismologists said the magnitude of the quake that struck around 6:30 a.m. (0530 GMT) was 5.0, with the epicenter near the towns of Petrinja and Sisak 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of the capital. Several smaller tremors were felt after the initial one.

The mayor of Petrinja, Darinko Dumbovic, told state HRT television that “we have bricks and tiles in the streets and fallen chimneys.” The quake was also felt in neighboring Bosnia. In Croatia's capital, it awoke residents and sent them fleeing into the streets. Security cameras showed parked cars shaking for several seconds, triggering their alarms.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic promised state help in repairing the damage while he toured the quake-hit regions on Monday. “This year is ending the way it started,” Plenkovic said, referring to an earlier earthquake in Croatia that came on top of the coronavirus outbreak that is challenging the EU-member nation.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU is closely following the situation Monday and stands ready to help. “Stay strong Croatia!,” she said on Twitter. Earlier this year, the Zagreb area was hit by a strong quake on March 22, causing substantial damage. One person died and at least 27 were injured.

Croats vote in close parliamentary race as virus spikes

July 05, 2020

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Amid a spike of new coronavirus cases, voters in Croatia cast ballots on Sunday in what is expected be a close parliamentary race that could push the latest European Union member state further to the right.

The ballot is expected to produce no clear winner as neither the ruling conservatives nor their main liberal opponents appeared set to win a majority in the 151-member parliament. This means that a newcomer right-wing party led by a popular folk singer could play a key role in the future government. Miroslav Skoro's Homeland Movement has polled third despite public outrage over some of his staunchly hard-line and nationalist views.

Skoro's party is believed to have chipped away votes from the ruling Croatian Democratic Union, a conservative party that has dominated the political scene in Croatia since the independence in 1991. The HDZ is bidding for reelection while faced with a renewed surge in virus cases that followed reopening of the country's borders and easing of lockdown rules. Croatia is struggling to salvage its main source of revenue — tourism along the Adriatic Sea coast.

A country of 4.2 million people, Croatia has kept the outbreak largely under control, reporting around 113 deaths and some 3,100 confirmed infections. But Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic was criticized over an outbreak at a tennis tournament organized by top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the coastal town of Zadar.

Plenkovic's main opponents are Restart coalition led by the center-left Social Democratic Party, the main liberal group. They say the government is plagued by corruption and voters should choose a new beginning if they want the country to move forward.

Restart could also ally with a new green-left alliance further on the left, if they gain enough seats. The group led by Mozemo, or We Can, party is strong mostly in the capital Zagreb but not so much in other parts of Croatia.

Some 3.8 million people are eligible to vote but analysts say virus fears could keep many at home. Voters have been advised to take own temperature and stay away if they have a fever. Those who vote should bring their own pen and wear a mask.

Croatia to hold election amid virus, political uncertainty

July 03, 2020

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatia is holding a parliamentary election this weekend amid a coronavirus outbreak and with no clear winner in sight as none of the main contenders appears set to garner a majority of votes.

The ballot on Sunday will take place as Croatia, like other parts of Europe, contends with a renewed spike in reported virus cases that followed the reopening of borders and easing of lockdown rules. The country's current conservative government, which initially handled the public health crisis relatively successfully, has sought continued support from voters. But polls have suggested a liberal coalition has a slight lead over the ruling Croatian Democratic Union.

Here is a look at who's who on Croatia's political scene and what's at stake:

WHO ARE THE MAIN PLAYERS?

The governing Croatian Democratic Union, or HDZ, has dominated the political scene since steering Croatia to independence in 1991 from the former Yugoslavia and through the war that followed.

Staunchly nationalist in the past, the HDZ has moved toward the conservative center under the leadership of Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. The shift has alienated some of the party's right-wing supporters.

The party's main challenger for the right to govern is the center-left Social Democratic Party, which allied with several smaller groups to form a joint Restart candidates' list. The alliance has urged voters to choose a new beginning as opposed to the ruling party's message of choosing a safe bet.

The Social Democratic Party led the Croatian government a few times in the past, and its candidate won the second round of the country's presidential election in January. Restart has topped pre-election polls, but analysts say the conservatives are not far behind.

WHO ELSE IS IN THE GAME?

None of the remaining parties are as strong as the main players, but two new groups have emerged in the election from both the left and the right. The right-wing Homeland Movement, which is led by folk singer Miroslav Skoro, is believed to be chipping away votes from the ruling HDZ party. Skoro ran for president last year and finished third in the election's first round.

On the left, a new green-left coalition led by the Mozemo, or We Can group, has gathered civic activists and gained ground particularly in the capital, Zagreb. The group has attracted voters who are disappointed with the center-left SDP's record in politics.

WHAT COULD HAPPEN AFTER THE VOTE?

If predictions prove right and no party gains a majority of the future parliament's 151 seats, a coalition government will have to be formed. This means post-election negotiations could take a while before a new Cabinet takes office.

Analysts think a right-wing coalition is more likely to emerge between the conservatives and Skoro's movement. The center-left Restart might try to form a majority with liberal Mozemo and other smaller groups, if they win enough seats.

FACTS ABOUT CROATIA

The predominantly conservative Catholic nation of 4.2 million people is best known for its beautiful Adriatic Sea coast and hundreds of islands that are usually packed with tourists during the summer holiday season. The walled city of Dubrovnik, the location of the fictional King’s Landing in the TV series “Game of Thrones,” is a globally famous destination.

Croatia's economy remains among the weakest in the European Union, and the country is struggling to avoid huge financial damage from the loss of tourism during the coronavirus pandemic. The last country to be admitted to the EU, Croatia also is a member of NATO.

WHAT IS THE VIRUS SITUATION?

Croatia's is seeing a spike of several dozen new cases of infections daily, but authorities say the situation is under control. Prime Minister Plenkovic has appealed to all right-leaning voters to continue backing his government, saying “This is no time for charlatans."

While Croatia had reported fewer than 3,000 virus cases and 110 deaths in all as of Thursday, Plenkovic's team was shaken after a cluster of new cases came out of a tennis tournament organized by top-ranked Serbian player Novak Djokovic in the coastal town of Zadar.

Several players, including Djokovic, have tested positive for the virus and Plenkovic faced criticism for not isolating after meeting them.

HOW IS VOTING ORGANIZED?

Polls open at 0500 GMT on Sunday and close 12 hours later. Exit polls are expected to be available immediately after polls close, while preliminary official results will start coming in an hour or two later.

Analysts say the virus outbreak could lead to low turnout among Croatia's 3.8 million voters. Authorities have urged voters to bring their own pens and to stay home if they have fevers. Face masks and hygiene supplies are mandatory at the polling stations.

Prague train with 500 tourists boosts Croatia tourism hopes

July 01, 2020

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — A train carrying about 500 tourists from the Czech Republic and Slovakia arrived to Croatia on Wednesday morning as the country seeks to attract visitors after easing lockdown measures against the coronavirus.

The train rolled into the station in the northern Croatian port of Rijeka after an all-night journey that started in Czech capital Prague. The tourists were then bused to their destinations along the Adriatic Sea coast.

The Croatian coastline is a leading European tourism destination, particularly for visitors from Central and Eastern Europe who can easily access it by car or train. “It was great," said a Czech tourist who identified himself only by his first name Filip. “The only thing that was different is that we had to wear face masks the whole time."

Croatia is hoping to salvage as much as possible of the summer tourism season, which has been badly hurt by the virus outbreak. The country’s economy is among the weakest in the European Union and largely dependent on tourism income.

“We are hoping that this will increase the number of tourists here. There are currently around 300,000 of them vacationing in Croatia," said Tourism Minister Gari Capelli, who welcomed the visitors in Rijeka.

Capelli said the train will run daily and that around 30,000 tickets already have been sold despite a renewed spike in virus cases with the easing of lockdown rules throughout Europe. Croatia has had 2,777 confirmed cases while 107 people have died. Millions of tourists normally visit Croatia each year, mostly staying at the Adriatic Sea coastline or on the islands.

EU chair Croatia votes in tight presidential runoff

January 05, 2020

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Voters in Croatia on Sunday cast ballots to choose a new president in a fiercely contested runoff race, with a liberal opposition candidate challenging the conservative incumbent while the country presides over the European Union during a crucial period.

Croatia took over the EU's rotating presidency on Jan. 1. for the first time since joining the bloc in 2013. This means that the EU's newest member state will be tasked with overseeing Britain's divorce from the union on Jan. 31 and the start of post-Brexit talks.

Sunday's runoff presidential vote is expected to be a very tight and unpredictable race. It's being held because none of the candidates won more than half of the votes in the first round on Dec. 22. Current President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic is running for a second term, challenged by leftist former Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic.

Milanovic won slightly more votes than Grabar Kitarovic in the first round but analysts have warned there is no clear favorite in the runoff and that each vote counts. There are 3.8 million voters in Croatia, a country of 4.2 million that is also a member of NATO.

The two candidates represent the two main political options in Croatia: Grabar Kitarovic is backed by the governing, conservative Croatian Democratic Union, a dominating political force since the country split from the former Yugoslavia in 1991, while Milanovic enjoys support from the leftist Social Democrats and their liberal allies.

Even though the presidency is largely ceremonial in Croatia, Sunday's election is important as a test ahead of parliamentary elections expected later this year. Milanovic's victory over Grabar Kitarovic would rattle the conservative government during the crucial EU presidency and weaken its grip on power in an election year.

While starting out stronger, support for Grabar Kitarovic had been slashed following a series of gaffes in the election campaign. The 51-year-old had a career in diplomacy and in NATO before becoming Croatia's first female president in 2015. Going into the runoff vote, Grabar Kitarovic evoked the Croatian unity during the 1991-95 war in a bid to attract far-right votes to her side.

The 53-year-old Milanovic is leading the struggling liberals' bid to regain clout in the predominantly right-leaning nation. Prone to populist outbursts while prime minister, Milanovic lost popularity after the ouster of his government in 2016. He now says he has learned from the experience and matured. Milanovic has urged the voters to give him a chance to surprise them.

Though a member of the EU, Croatia is still coping with graft and economic woes, partly because of the consequences of the 1991-95 conflict that erupted because of Croatia's decision to leave the Serb-led Yugoslav federation. The Catholic Church plays an important role in the society

Croatia's presidential contest heads to Jan. 5 runoff vote

December 23, 2019

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatia's conservative president will face a liberal former prime minister in a runoff election early next month after no candidate won an outright majority in a first round of voting Sunday, near-complete results showed.

The vote was held just days before Croatia takes over the European Union’s presidency for the first time. The governing conservatives are hoping to to keep their grip on power ahead of assuming the EU chairmanship.

Left-wing former Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic led the field with nearly 30% of the votes in preliminary returns. President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic had almost 27%, the state election authorities said after counting almost all ballots.

Right-wing singer Miroslav Skoro was in third place with around 24%. Some 3.8 million voters in the EU's newest member country chose from among 11 candidates in Sunday's election, but only the top three finishers had been considered serious contenders.

Milanovic and Grabar Kitarovic now will face each other in a second round of voting Jan. 5. Although the incumbent finished second in the first round, analysts said Grabar Kitarovic could be considered a favorite in the runoff because other right-leaning challengers would no longer be in contention.

Addressing supporters, Grabar Kitarovic called for all those on the right to unite behind her candidacy in the second round. She described the first round as a “10 on 1 battle.” “Unlike Mr. Milanovic, I had a tough fellow-candidate at my political specter,” Grabar Kitarovic said. “Now, we must all gather together and go for a victory!”

Milanovic, too, said he can win and called for a “civilized civic match” and not a battle, referring to traditionally deep divisions in Crotia between the political left and right. “We are going to the second round, not a war," he said. “Let the better one of us win and I believe I am better.”

Croatia's presidency is largely ceremonial. The office holder formally commands the army and represents the country abroad. But retaining the post is important for the ruling Croatian Democratic Union party, known as HDZ, as Croatia prepares for its six-month term in the EU presidency. The job will include overseeing Britain's departure from the bloc, expected to take place Jan. 31, and the start of post-Brexit trade talks.

Grabar Kitarovic started off her campaign looking strong but her position weakened after a series of gaffes. The 51-year-old incumbent is known for flirting with the extreme right while seeking also to portray herself as a peoples' president.

Milanovic promised during the campaign to turn Croatia into a “normal,” tolerant country. Although Croatia has recovered since the devastating 1991-95 war that followed the breakup of former Yugoslavia, it still is one of the poorest nations in the EU and corruption is believed to be widespread.

The nation of 4.2 million people is best known for its stunning Adriatic Sea coast, which includes over 1,000 islands and picturesque coastal towns such as the medieval walled city of Dubrovnik. Critics blasted the government for setting the election date three days before Christmas, a time when many people travel abroad. The governing HDZ party, they said, counted on the support from Croats who live abroad and normally flock home for the holidays.

Analysts said the strong showing by the right-wing Skoro party signaled that the governing HDZ had lost some support among party followers ahead of a parliamentary election set for next year.

Croats pick president in tight test for ruling conservatives

December 22, 2019

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Voters in Croatia cast ballots Sunday in a tight presidential election, with the ruling conservatives seeking to keep their grip on power days before the country takes over the European Union's rotating presidency for the first time.

Some 3.8 million voters in the EU's newest member are picking among 11 candidates, but only three are considered to be contenders in the vote held on rainy day during Christmas holiday season. Conservative incumbent Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic is running for a second term, challenged by leftist former Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic and right-wing singer Miroslav Skoro.

Although the post is largely ceremonial in Croatia — the president formally commands the army and represents the country abroad — keeping the presidency is important for the ruling Croatian Democratic Union party as its government is set to assume the EU chairmanship on Jan. 1. That job will include overseeing Britain's departure from the bloc, expected on Jan. 31, and the start of post-Brexit trade talks.

Analysts predict that a presidential runoff vote will have to be held in two weeks as no candidate is expected to win an outright majority. Grabar Kitarovic started off stronger but her position has weakened after a series of gaffes during the campaign. She is still believed to have a slight lead going into the election, followed closely by Milanovic. Skoro is trailing in third.

“We are deciding in which direction Croatia will go,” Grabar Kitarovic said upon voting in Zagreb, the capital. The 51-year-old incumbent is known for flirting with the extreme right while seeking also to portray herself as a peoples' president. Milanovic during campaign promised to turn Croatia into a “normal” tolerant country, while Skoro played an anti-establishment, nationalist card.

Although Croatia has recovered since the devastating 1991-95 war that followed the breakup of former Yugoslavia, it still is one of the poorest nations in the EU and corruption is believed to be widespread. The nation of 4.2 million people is best known for its stunning Adriatic Sea coast, which includes over 1,000 islands and picturesque coastal towns such as the medieval walled city of Dubrovnik.

Critics have blasted the government for setting the election date three days before Christmas, a time when many people travel abroad. The ruling HDZ party, they said, counts on the support from Croats who live abroad and normally flock home for the holidays.

After voting in Zagreb, Milanovic predicted there would be a runoff. “We have done all we could, I have done my best," he said. “People could see that and now it is up to them to decide.” Skoro urged citizens not to stay at home because of the rain.

“The voters decide today about the future of our country," he said. “Changes have to happen and people must come out to vote despite bad weather.”

Croatia's top oyster farmers in alarm after norovirus found

March 11, 2019

MALI STON, Croatia (AP) — Oyster farming is the pride of this small town in the south of Croatia's Adriatic Sea coast. But tasting the famed local delicacy may not be a good idea at the moment. Authorities have detected norovirus, which causes diarrhea and vomiting, in parts of the Mali Ston bay — triggering shock and alarm among the breeders.

The traditional oyster-tasting feast in March has been canceled and fears are mounting of huge financial losses to the local community that harvests about 3 million oysters each year. Experts are pointing their fingers at the outdated sewage system in the area that has seen a rise in the numbers of tourists flocking to Croatia's stunning Adriatic coast.

"I am really sorry but people themselves are to blame that something like this happened," explained Vlado Onofri from the Institute for Marine and Coastal Research in nearby Dubrovnik. "It's something that has to be solved in the future."

While some stomach bugs can be eliminated with cooking, norovirus survives at relatively high temperatures. "The problem with oysters is that they are eaten raw," Onofri said. Stunned locals pointed out their oysters are famous for high quality — a 1936 award from a London international exhibition still hangs on the wall in Svetan Pejic's La Koruna restaurant in Mali Ston.

"Our oyster here is really a special oyster ... and this is the only place (in the world) where it can be found," he insisted. "Everyone wants to take our oysters and try to breed them elsewhere." Navigating the oyster fields in their small boats, the farmers proudly show visitors rows and rows of oyster-filled underwater farm beds spreading through the bay.

Top municipal official Vedran Antunica questioned the assumption that the local sewage system was to blame for the outbreak. "Viruses are everywhere, now as we speak, the air is full of viruses," Antunica said. "We had the same sewage system in the past, so why wasn't it (norovirus) recorded? What has changed?"

Mass tourism threatens Croatia's 'Game of Thrones' town

September 21, 2018

DUBROVNIK, Croatia (AP) — Marc van Bloemen has lived in the old town of Dubrovnik, a Croatian citadel widely praised as the jewel of the Adriatic, for decades, since he was a child. He says it used to be a privilege. Now it's a nightmare.

Crowds of tourists clog the entrances to the ancient walled city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as huge cruise ships unload thousands more daily. People bump into each other on the famous limestone-paved Stradun, the pedestrian street lined with medieval churches and palaces, as fans of the popular TV series "Game of Thrones" search for the locations where it was filmed.

Dubrovnik is a prime example of the effects of mass tourism, a global phenomenon in which the increase in people travelling means standout cites — particularly small ones — get overwhelmed by crowds. As the numbers of visitors keeps rising, local authorities are looking for ways to keep the throngs from killing off the town's charm.

"It's beyond belief, it's like living in the middle of Disneyland," says van Bloemen from his house overlooking the bustling Old Harbor in the shadows of the stone city walls. On a typical day there are about eight cruise ships visiting this town of 2,500 people, each dumping some 2,000 tourists into the streets. He recalls one day when 13 ships anchored here.

"We feel sorry for ourselves, but also for them (the tourists) because they can't feel the town anymore because they are knocking into other tourists," he said. "It's chaos, the whole thing is chaos."

The problem is hurting Dubrovnik's reputation abroad. UNESCO warned last year that the city's world heritage title was at risk because of the surge in tourist numbers. The popular Discoverer travel blog recently wrote that a visit to the historic town "is a highlight of any Croatian vacation, but the crowds that pack its narrow streets and passageways don't make for a quality visitor experience."

It said that the extra attention the city gets from being a filming location for "Game of Thrones" combines with the cruise ship arrivals to create "a problem of epic proportions." It advises travelers to visit other quaint old towns nearby: "Instead of trying to be one of the lucky ones who gets a ticket to Dubrovnik's sites, try the delightful town of Ohrid in nearby Macedonia."

In 2017, local authorities announced a "Respect the City" plan that limits the number of tourists from cruise ships to a maximum of 4,000 at any one time during the day. The plan still has to be implemented, however.

"We are aware of the crowds," said Romana Vlasic, the head of the town's tourist board. But while on the one hand she pledged to curb the number of visitors, Vlasic noted with some satisfaction that this season in Dubrovnik "is really good with a slight increase in numbers." The success of the Croatian national soccer team at this summer's World Cup, where it reached the final, helped bring new tourists new tourists.

Vlasic said that over 800,000 tourists visited Dubrovnik since the start of the year, a 6 percent increase from the same period last year. Overnight stays were up 4 percent to 3 million. The cruise ships pay the city harbor docking fees, but the local businesses get very little money from the visitors, who have all-inclusive packages on board the ship and spend very little on local restaurants or shops

Krunoslav Djuricic, who plays his electric guitar at Pile, one of the two main entrances of Dubrovnik's walled city, sees the crowds pass by him all day and believes that "mass tourism might not be what we really need."

The tourists disembarking from the cruise ships have only a few hours to visit the city, meaning they often rush around to see the sites and take selfies to post to social media. "We have crowds of people who are simply running," Djuricic says. "Where are these people running to?"

Darko Bandic contributed to this report.

Croats gather in Austria for controversial commemoration

May 12, 2018

BLEIBURG, Austria (AP) — Thousands of Croatian far-right supporters gathered in a field in southern Austria on Saturday to commemorate the massacre of pro-Nazi Croats by victorious communists at the end of World War II.

The controversial annual event was held amid a surge of far-right sentiment in Croatia, the European Union's newest member. For Croatian nationalists, the Bleiburg site symbolizes their suffering under communism in Yugoslavia before they fought a war for independence in the 1990s.

Tens of thousands of Croatians, mostly pro-fascist soldiers known as Ustashas, fled to Bleiburg in May 1945 amid a Yugoslav army offensive, only to be turned back from Austria by the British military and into the hands of revengeful anti-fascists. Thousands were killed and buried in mass graves in and around Bleiburg.

The Croatian Ustasha regime sent tens of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Gypsies and Croatian anti-fascists to death camps during the war. Top Croatian officials attended Saturday's gathering Saturday on a vast field surrounded by mountains. Croatian Catholic Church clergy held a Mass for the killed Croats.

"Awful crimes have been committed in the Bleiburg field," Croatian parliament speaker Gordan Jandrokovic said. "Today we are paying our respect to the victims, civilians as well as soldiers." Croatia's center-right government has been accused of turning a blind eye to the rising extremism and downplaying the crimes of the Ustasha regime. The policies have triggered protests from Croatia's minority Jewish and Serb communities.

Top Nazi hunter Efraim Zuroff said he tried to persuade Austria's conservative government to ban the rally, but without success. "It's absolutely outrageous that Austrian authorities allow an event like this to happen," Zuroff told The Associated Press by phone from Jerusalem. "In Austria, you are not allowed to brandish Nazi symbols, but they allow Ustasha symbols."

For the first time since the first massive commemoration was held in the 1990s, Austrian authorities on Saturday banned the Ustasha insignia to be worn at the event. Despite the ban, some participants brandished T-shirts bearing the Ustasha wartime call: "For the Homeland, ready!"

"The main culprit of the tragedy of those people was the British Army because they tricked the Croatian soldiers to disarm before they were handed over to (Yugoslav Communist leader Josip Broz) Tito," said Branko Mandic, one of the mourners.

A small anti-Fascist rally was held in the town of Bleiburg, with protesters displaying banners reading "Nazis Out!" Croatian officials repeatedly have denied backing policies that run counter to European Union standards, saying they are focused on major economic and social reforms and not the revival of the far-right sentiments.

Leaders of Romania, Croatia want a one-speed Europe

October 02, 2017

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — The presidents of Romania and Croatia have called for an end to the differences between older and newer European Union members. Some newer EU members are frustrated they do not enjoy the same benefits as older EU members. Many East European members do not use the euro.

Klaus Iohannis said he and Croatian President Kolinda Gabar-Kitarovic agreed Monday on "an elimination of differences between different states (which is) very important," Iohannis said. Grabar-Kitarovic said she opposed "a two-speed Europe," after talks with Iohannis. She said Romania and neighbor Bulgaria, both EU members, deserve to be members of the visa-free Schengen travel zone.

She also said Romania and Bulgaria, members since 2007, should no longer be subjected to a process that monitors whether they implement reforms.

Ex-rebel Serb commander sentenced to 15 years in Croatia

September 26, 2017

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — A Croatian court on Tuesday sentenced a former Serb paramilitary commander and Australian citizen to 15 years in prison for war crimes in the 1990s, including the killing and torture of prisoners.

Judges at the municipal court in the coastal town of Split said that Dragan Vasiljkovic, also known as Captain Dragan and Daniel Snedden, is guilty of war crimes committed while he commanded Croatian Serb rebels during the 1991-95 war when Serbs took up arms against Croatia's secession from Yugoslavia.

The 62-year-old Vasiljkovic, who was born in Serbia, went to Australia as a teenager, but returned to the Balkans to train Croatian Serb rebels in 1991. In Australia, he was an army reservist and a golf instructor.

Vasiljkovic was extradited from Australia in July 2015 after a 10-year legal battle against being handed over to Croatia's judiciary. He became Australia's first extradited war crimes suspect. The three-judge Croatian court panel found Vasiljkovic guilty of two of the three charges, which included torturing and beating imprisoned Croatian police and army troops and commanding a special forces unit involved in the destruction of Croatian villages. He was found responsible for the death of at least two civilians.

"They were beating prisoners with their guns, ... pushing gun barrels into their mouths," judge Damir Romac said reading the verdict. "He (Vasiljkovic) did nothing to prevent this and punish the perpetrators."

About 60 prosecution witnesses were questioned during the trial, including those who said they were tortured by Vasiljkovic. Vasiljkovic, who was widely believed during the war to be working for Serbia's secret service, has claimed innocence throughout the one-year trial, saying the whole process was rigged.

"This is an oppressive fascist process," Vasiljkovic said during his closing statements last week. "Not only did I not commit any crimes that I am charged with, I can only ask why I was brought here and charged in the first place."

Serbia's Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin blasted Vasiljkovic's conviction as a "mockery of truth." Vulin accused Croatia of fueling tensions in the Balkans with the ruling. The judges ruled that they will take into account the time Vasiljkovic served in detention in Australia and in a Croatian prison, meaning he has three-and-a-half years of his sentence remaining. His lawyers said they will appeal.

Associated Press writer Dusan Stojanovic contributed from Belgrade, Serbia.

Migrants claim violence while pushed back from Croatia

September 01, 2017

SID, Serbia (AP) — Hamid Barekzai desperately tried to cross into Croatia 17 times in one year. He says he was beaten and humiliated during most of his attempts, but the Afghan migrant isn't about to give up on his goal of getting deeper into Europe.

International rights groups say there is enough evidence that Croatian police for months have been forcing migrants and asylum-seekers back across the border to neighboring Serbia, in some cases using violence, taking their money and breaking their cellphones, without giving them an opportunity to file claims for protection.

Croatian officials have denied the groups' claims, but refugees interviewed by The Associated Press last week described how they were forced back. Croatian police didn't respond to repeated requests for comment from The Associated Press.

"I tried to enter Croatia 17 times. Out of 17 times, they beat me nine times and they took everything from me," Barekzai, the 24-year-old from Afghanistan, said at a crowded refugee center in Serbia only a few kilometers (miles) from the Croatian border where people sleep in tents often visited by rats at nighttime.

"We will not stay here. We will go. If they beat, if they kill, anything they do, we will go, we will not stay. What should we do here? Here, there is no future," said Barekzai, who said he has a degree in medicine.

A huge wave of refugees on the so-called Balkan route subsided after Hungary and other countries along the route closed their borders to migrants in March 2016. That left thousands stranded in Serbia, including women and children, who sometimes had to sleep out in the open, exposed to the extreme weather.

With Hungary's right-wing government sealing off its border with Serbia with a double razor-wire fence, the stranded migrants have no choice but try to enter the European Union via Croatia in an attempt to reach Germany, Sweden or other more prosperous central and northern European countries.

Germany took in the bulk of over a million asylum-seekers in 2015 and 2016, in stark contrast to Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia or other central or eastern European states which refuse to host migrants under the EU's programs to allocate 160,000 people stranded in Greece, Italy and the Balkans.

Many EU states, including Croatia, have dragged their feet and only about 18,000 people have been moved under the plan that expires in September. One of the arguments is that allowing entry would jeopardize Europe's security, although most recent attacks in Europe have been linked to home-grown extremists.

In its report, Human Rights Watch said the violence and summary return of asylum-seekers from Croatia without consideration of their protection needs is contrary to EU asylum laws, the bloc's charter on fundamental rights, and the international Refugee Convention.

"The fact that this type of flagrant abuse of migrants and asylum-seekers is allowed to go on at EU's borders is completely unacceptable and flies in the face of EU and international law," said Lydia Gall, Balkans and Eastern Europe researcher at Human Rights Watch.

The stranded migrants interviewed by the AP in Serbia described their dangerous journeys across the border. "Yesterday I came back from Croatia. They (police) beat us and took 900 euros and he (a policeman) took our phones and broke them. After that, he slapped me and he behaved very badly with us," said Haider Zaman Khan from Pakistan.

Abdul Jabbar from Afghanistan said he tried to cross into Croatia three times and was beaten once. "The second time I went with my friend. We paid taxi to Zagreb 200 euros," he said. Instead of taking them about 300 kilometers (190 miles) to the Croatian capital, he said the taxi driver took them straight to a nearby police station.

"The police beat us, they broke our mobiles and sent us back to the border," he said. Serbian officials and doctors in the Adasevci refugee camp said that migrants regularly return from Croatia with bruises and sometimes broken limbs.

On the Serbian side of the border, hundreds of migrants — who refuse to be registered by local authorities because of fears they would be deported — sleep out in the open in cornfields, forests and an abandoned, roofless printing factory littered with garbage and toxic waste.

The only aid this group has comes from young activists from Spain and Germany, who provide them with food and water. "There are now around 150-200 people here without any legal status, trying to cross the border again and again," said Max Buttner of the German Rigardu non-governmental organization, which put makeshift showers inside the factory where mostly young men shaved or had a haircut as Arab folk songs blared from a transistor radio.

"It started a few months ago when they stared coming back from the border with injuries," Buttner said. "They were beaten by the police often with sticks." Rigardu has documented numerous cases of purported violence by Croatian police after migrants got caught while crossing the border from Serbia on cargo trains or on foot through thick forest.

In one case, a 17-year-old Algerian boy was thrown to the ground, hit with batons and kicked in his head until "he lost his consciousness completely," the volunteer group's report said. "This morning, a group came back from Zagreb. So, even when they make it to Zagreb or (further west) to Slovenia, people are deporting them back to Serbia because it is outside of the EU," Buttner said.

As he spoke, a Libyan man came limping into the factory and started bandaging his swollen ankle which he said he sustained from a baton hit by a Croatian policeman. A small crowd gathered around Ahmed Ali who said he's just back from what migrants call "the game" — an attempt to outplay the Croatian border police, like in a computer game.

"They won today, but tomorrow is another game," he said.

Croatia holds snap vote with no clear winner in sight

September 11, 2016

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatian citizens were voting Sunday in an early parliamentary election that is unlikely to produce a clear winner and could pave the way for more political uncertainty in the European Union's newest member state.

The second vote in less than a year was called when a previous, right-wing government collapsed in June after less than six months in power, paralyzed by bickering within the ruling coalition. Political deadlock has delayed reforms that are necessary for Croatia to catch up with the rest of the EU. It has also fueled nationalist rhetoric amid heightened tensions with Serbia — its former Balkan war foe.

Opinion polls suggest that neither the conservative Croatian Democratic Union, known as HDZ, nor the left-leaning Social Democrats and their People's Coalition, will win enough votes to rule alone, though the leftist alliance has been projected taking a slight lead.

This means that that some of the smaller groups could play the role of kingmakers, as was the case with the Most group in the previous government. Some analysts have predicted that Croatia's next government could take months to form and end up as weak as the previous one.

Croatia had tilted to the right under the HDZ-led government that took over following the inconclusive vote last November. However, in the past weeks it has sought to remake its image as a centrist party under new leader Andrej Plenkovic.

The more moderate leader, who took over from right-leaning Tomislav Karamarko earlier this summer, said Sunday he expects high turnout among Croatia's nearly 3.8 million voters. "We are happy," Plenkovic said upon casting his ballot. "It's a beautiful day, so I expect the turnout to be bigger than if it was rainy."

HDZ and the Social Democrats have been the two dominant parties in Croatia since the country split from former Yugoslavia in 1991. The Social Democrats, led by former Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic, were in power for four years until last November.

Although more advanced than other Balkan countries, Croatia has one of the weakest economies in the EU following years of crisis after the split from former Yugoslavia and the 1991-95 war. After a six-year recession, Croatia has shown signs of recovery with reported growth of more than 2 percent. However, unemployment hovers around 14 percent — among the highest in the EU — and much of the fiscal growth is attributed to tourism along Croatia's Adriatic coast.

Kristijan Naher, a voter from Zagreb said he hopes Croatians "will be smarter now" and vote conclusively to "avoid the agony" that followed the last election. Zagreb resident Jelena Micic said she was hopeful things would improve.

"I think we are moving toward a better future for Croatia," Micic said.

A look at Croatia's snap election on Sunday

September 09, 2016

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — The European Union's newest member state, Croatia, is holding a snap election this weekend that pits the dominant parties on the left and right against each other but is unlikely to produce a clear winner. The uncertainty is fueling fears of prolonged instability that could hamper reform.

Here is a brief look at Sunday's vote.

WHY THE SNAP VOTE?

Croatia's previous, right-wing government collapsed last spring after only six months in power, paralyzed by internal bickering among the coalition members. That government, led by a nonpartisan businessman from Canada, was formed after an inconclusive election last November.

THE MAIN CONTENDERS

The main parties in Croatia are the left-wing Social Democrats and the right-wing Croatian Democratic Union, commonly known as HDZ. The parties have dominated Croatia's political scene since it split from Yugoslavia in the 1990s, but they will likely depend on smaller, kingmaker groups such as pro-reform Most.

The Croatian Democratic Union led Croatia during the 1991-95 war for independence and is viewed as nationalist.

The Social Democrats — running in a People's Coalition with some smaller groups — are considered successors to Croatia's Communists, who fought against Nazis during World War II and later ruled Croatia while it was part of the Yugoslav federation.

Most, a little-known group formed before last November's elections, came out of the last vote as a kingmaker. It formed a government with HDZ, but it didn't work well and the coalition government collapsed.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

Although part of the campaign centered on past ideological divisions, whoever forms the next government will face some hard work on reforming Croatia's economy so it can catch up with the rest of the EU nations. Croatia has one of the weakest economies in the EU partly because of the war and delayed transition.

ELECTION DAY

Croatia has 3.7 million voters. Polls open on Sunday at 0500GMT and close 12 hours later. Preliminary results and projections will start coming in an hour or two after the polls close. Official results are unlikely before Monday.

Croats commemorate WWII massacre amid far-right surge

May 14, 2016

BLEIBURG, Austria (AP) — Thousands of far-right supporters, many brandishing insignia and waving flags of Croatia's World War II Ustasha regime, gathered Saturday in a field in southern Austria to commemorate the massacre of pro-Nazis by victorious communists at the end of the war.

The annual event this year came amid a surge of far-right sentiments in the European Union's newest member. For Croatian nationalists, the Bleiburg site symbolizes their suffering under communism in Yugoslavia before they fought a war for independence in the 1990s.

Tens of thousands of Croatians, mostly Ustasha soldiers, fled to Bleiburg in May 1945 amid a Yugoslav communist offensive, only to be turned back from Austria by the British military and into the hands of revengeful antifascists. Thousands were killed and buried in mass graves in and around Bleiburg.

The Ustasha regime sent tens of thousands Serbs, Jews, Gypsies and Croatian anti-fascists to death camps during the war. The gathering Saturday on a vast field surrounded by mountains was attended by top Croatian officials and Croatian Catholic Church clergy who held a mass for the killed Croats.

"All (WWII) victims deserve the same respect and reverence and the totalitarian regimes which committed the crimes deserve equal blame," Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister Bozo Petrov said after the ceremony. "We should stop divisions over the victims."

Since taking power in January, Croatia's center-right government has widely been blamed for turning a blind eye to the rising extremism and downplaying the crimes of the Ustasha regime. The policies have triggered protests from Croatia's minority Jewish and Serb communities.

"We are faced with an effort to totally relativize the Ustasha crimes," said the head of the Zagreb Jewish community, Ognjen Kraus. "It all started with such denials in Germany in 1933 and in Croatia in 1941."

The Croatian government, which has cracked down on free media and non-government organizations, has denied backing policies that counter EU standards, saying it's focused on major economic and social reforms and not the revival of the far-right sentiments.

On Saturday, the ultra-nationalists wore black T-shirts with the Ustashas' "U'' symbol and waved flags with inscriptions of their wartime chant "For the Homeland, Ready!" "I'm here because my grandfather perished in the Bleiburg massacre," said Elvis Duspara, wearing a T-shirt with the chant. "We Croats were never aggressors, we only defended our homeland. That's why we proudly say: For the homeland, ready!"

UN court acquits Serb nationalist Seselj; Croatia shocked

March 31, 2016

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — In a rare courtroom victory for a Serb defendant, a U.N. war crimes tribunal on Thursday acquitted ultranationalist politician Vojislav Seselj of atrocities and pronounced him a free man. The decision inflamed simmering tensions in the Balkans, sparking joy in Serbia and horror and deep anger in Bosnia and Croatia.

Prosecutors had charged Seselj, 61, with crimes including persecution, murder and torture and had demanded a 28-year sentence for his support of Serb paramilitaries during the region's bitter, bloody wars in the early 1990s.

But in a majority decision, the three-judge panel said there was insufficient evidence linking the politician himself to the crimes. A dissenting opinion shredded that logic, providing grist for possible future appeals.

"After so many proceedings in which innocent Serbs were given draconian punishments, this time two honest judges showed they valued honor more than political pressure," Seselj declared at a press conference at his Serbian Radical Party headquarters in Belgrade.

Others heatedly disagreed. "This is a defeat of The Hague tribunal," Croatian Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic said in Vukovar, an eastern Croatian town destroyed by Serbian troops, including Seselj's paramilitaries, during the war for independence in the 1990s. "I am in Vukovar today, and we all know that this man has done evil to this town. He showed no remorse whatsoever."

Most of the people indicted and convicted by the court have been Serbs as the international community blamed them for most of the war's worst atrocities, including the deadly siege of Sarajevo and 1995 massacre of 8,000 Muslim men in Srebrenica.

Seselj, who repeatedly branded the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia an anti-Serb court, was not in The Hague for the ruling. He was allowed to return home in late 2014 on compassionate grounds due to ill health.

Once home, the firebrand ultranationalist, who once said he would like to gouge out the eyes of rival Croats with a rusty spoon, rekindled a political career that was put on hold when he surrendered to the tribunal in 2003.

Now he could become a key political powerbroker after Serbia's April 24 general election. With a surge in pro-Russian and right-wing sentiments ahead of the vote, Seselj's Serbian Radical Party has a good chance to return to parliament after missing out two years ago.

Seselj has campaigned on the platform that Serbia must never enter the 28-nation European Union or NATO and should forge closer ties with Moscow. He has burned EU, NATO and Croatian flags during pre-election rallies, and said he would join a coalition government with the incumbent populists, his former allies, only if they give up their goal of EU accession.

The ruling could also further deteriorate relations between the two main Balkan rivals, Serbia and Croatia. Oreskovic, the prime minister described the acquittal as "shameful" and demanded a Serbian government "reaction" as a proof that Belgrade adheres to EU values as it seeks membership in the bloc.

In Bosnia, which also saw mass killings by Serb forces, the acquittal sparked disbelief and anger. "An absolutely shocking decision," said lawyer and publicist Senad Pecanin. "This is the lowest point of The Hague tribunal."

Ismar Jamakovic, 23, a student of political science from Sarajevo, said judges ruled that "advocating the creation of Greater Serbia was a political and not a criminal act. Does this mean I can now advocate the creation of an Islamic State without facing any consequences? You've got to be kidding me."

Jamakovic was referring to one of the most controversial aspects of Thursday's ruling. Prosecutors have long cast wartime plans by Serb leaders including Slobodan Milosevic and Radovan Karadzic as a criminal plot to create a "Greater Serbia" by forcefully expelling non-Serbs from their homes and thus redrawing the Balkan borders. Reading out a summary of the judgment, Presiding Judge Jean-Claude Antonetti characterized the plan as a political goal, not a criminal act.

The ruling called operations in which non-Serbs were bussed out of territory as a "humanitarian mission." Prosecutors had branded it a forcible displacement of the civilian population. "The reading of the conflict by the trial chamber is very, very different to what we are used to," Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz told reporters, adding that Seselj's trial was beset by allegations of interference with witnesses and evidence.

Brammertz almost certainly will appeal, but said Thursday he first has to study the ruling, which runs to some 100 pages, and its dissenting opinion. Antonetti also distanced Seselj from the crimes of the Serb paramilitaries he helped to establish, saying that although Seselj "may have had a certain amount of moral authority over his party's volunteers, they were not his subordinates" when they went into combat.

In a dissenting opinion, Judge Flavia Lattanzi sounded appalled at the findings of the other two judges, saying they had set aside "all the rules of international humanitarian law that existed before the creation of the Tribunal and all the applicable law established since the inception of the Tribunal in order to acquit Vojislav Seselj."

Serbian political analyst Djordje Subotic said the ruling legitimizes the "Greater Serbia" project, which could have grave consequences for future stability in the Balkans. "This means that the idea of redrawing the borders in the Balkans is revived," he said.

Seselj said he now expects to win 20-25 percent of the vote for his far-right radicals in April. "The most important is that we get more than the progressives," he said, referring to the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, his former allies-turned-foes.

Associated Press writers Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Aida Cerkez in Sarajevo and Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow contributed to this report.

Slovenia accuses Croatia of lack of control on migrant surge

October 20, 2015

BREZICE, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia accused Croatia on Tuesday of sending thousands of migrants toward its borders "without control," ignoring requests to contain the surge.

While Slovenia has said it can handle only 2,500 migrants a day, Slovenia's police said that some 8,300 migrants seeking to head toward Western Europe were currently in reception centers in the small country, with thousands more arriving.

Police in riot gear surrounded hundreds of migrants in a muddy field near the border village of Rigonce, from where they were to be escorted on foot to an already overcrowded reception center some 15 kilometers (9 miles) away.

"The pressure of immigrants arriving from Croatia is intensifying," the Slovenian government said in a statement. "They send immigrants toward Slovenia without control, deliberately dispersed." Croatia did not seem ready to slow the flow. On Tuesday morning, a train carrying more than 1,000 migrants from the town of Tovarnik and some 20 buses full of migrants from the Opatovac refugee camp were headed toward the Slovenian border.

Slovenia's parliament is expected to decide later Tuesday on a government proposal to allow the army to assist police with border control. Slovenian authorities say 6,000 migrants arrived on Monday and at least 4,000 more, including many babies and young children, had entered the country early Tuesday.

Slovenia has been confronted by the surge since Hungary closed its border with Croatia to the free flow of migrants on Saturday, forcing migrants to find new routes to Austria, Germany and other favored destinations in the European Union.

Not a single migrant has entered Hungary from Croatia since the border was closed with a fence protected by razor wire, soldiers and police patrols.

Associated Press reporters Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Serbia, Jovana Gec in Berkasovo, Serbia, and Pablo Gorondi in Budapest, Hungary, contributed to this report.

Serbia, Croatia agree to speed up migrant flow

October 23, 2015

BAJAKOVO, Croatia (AP) — Serbia and Croatia agreed Friday to ease the flow of migrants over the border between the countries after thousands of people, including children, were forced to spend the night out in the open in near-freezing temperatures along a muddy border passage.

The interior ministers of Serbia and Croatia said they will start shipping migrants by train directly from Serbia to Croatia so that they won't have to cross on foot, often treading kilometers in rain and cold weather, as has been the case so far. Migrants will register when they enter Serbia and will be able to cross into Croatia without any delays, which should speed up the process significantly, the ministers said.

"We have agreed to stop this torture," said Croatian Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic. "There will be no more rain and snow, they will go directly from camp to camp." Further west, thousands of migrants aiming to reach northern Europe walked out of refugee camps on the border between Slovenia and Austria on their own, frustrated after waiting long hours in overcrowded facilities.

Eager to move on, thousands spread around along railway tracks, highways and mountain roads. Confused and unaware which roads to take to go west, some migrants later turned back and returned to the refugee camps to wait for bus transport to other locations.

Tensions have been building after the so-called Balkan route shifted. Migrants still cross first from Greece into Macedonia and then Serbia, but now go via Croatia and Slovenia instead of Hungary, which has erected fences along its borders with Serbia and Croatia.

Overwhelmed after nearly 50,000 migrants crossed in just a few days, tiny Slovenia said it has not ruled out erecting a fence of its own along parts of its 670-kilometer (400-mile) border with Croatia. Prime Minister Miro Cerar was quoted Friday by the state news agency STA as saying Slovenia will consider all options if left to cope on its own with the influx of thousands of people.

"Our sights are foremost on finding a European solution," said Cerar. "But should we lose hope for this ... all options are open within what is acceptable." The country of 2 million people already has deployed 650 army troops to help the police manage the flow and has asked the European Commission for an aid package, including 60 million euros ($68 million) in financial aid and police gear and personnel.

Several EU nations have promised to send police officers to help Slovenia's force, which is so overloaded that a soccer derby Saturday had to be cancelled because there were no more officers available to guard the game.

Slovenia and Croatia have traded barbs since the start of the crisis, accusing one another of mishandling the crisis. Slovenia initially said it could take in only 2,500 people a day and accused Croatia of dropping migrants uncontrollably at its doorstep.

Croatian police could be seen Friday escorting another group of around 1,500 migrants close to an unmanned section of the country's border with Slovenia before letting them cross the frontier on foot. The group arrived on a train and was led by police in an orderly fashion to a small bridge to cross into Slovenia where they will be taken to a collection center.

Long hours in lines and overcrowded camps have led to several incidents in the past days, including scuffles, a stabbing and a fire in one of the migrant camps in Slovenia. At the Serbian border, some 5,000 people gathered around fires, under tents and wrapped in blankets as they waited all night to cross into Croatia. Ministers said registration of refugees must speed up so that there are no delays in the transfer of migrants toward Western Europe.

Serbian minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said the two countries will ask the EU to recognize the Serbian registration process — which includes finger and palm-printing and biometric passes — so that migrants don't have to undergo the same procedure over and over again.

"With the winter coming, it is important to agree on a speedy flow of these people," Stefanovic said. EU officials have called a summit for Sunday of several EU and Balkan leaders to focus on the migrant crisis.

Ali Zerdin in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Sabina Niksic at the Croatia-Slovenia border, Ivana Bzganovic in Berkasovo, Serbia, Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Serbia, and Petr David Josek and Balint Szlanko at the Slovenia-Austria border have contributed.