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Stjepan Đureković

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Stjepan Đureković
Born(1926-08-08)8 August 1926[1]
Bukovac, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Died28 July 1983(1983-07-28) (aged 56)
Wolfratshausen, West Germany
Cause of deathAssassination by gunshot
Burial placeMirogoj Cemetery, Zagreb, Croatia
OccupationBusinessman

Stjepan Đureković (8 August 1926 – 28 July 1983) was a Croatian political dissident and businessman who was assassinated by the Yugoslavian State Security Administration (UDBA) in West Germany in 1983. He was previously the CEO of the state-owned INA petrol company. In 1982, he defected to West Germany and became active in Croatian émigré circles opposed to Yugoslavia.

Early life

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Đureković was born in Bukovac near Petrovaradin. During World War II he avoided service in the Independent State of Croatia's armed forces to join the Partisans.[2]

Business career in FPR/SFR Yugoslavia

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After the war he rose to a position within INA.[2]

Relocation to West Germany

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After falling out with the government he defected to West Germany in 1982 where he became involved with the Croatian National Committee, an Ustaše-linked organization.[2] Together with Ivan Botić he published Yugoslavia in crisis, in which the two argued that Yugoslavia's large inflation rate and unemployment was resulting in the exploitation of Croatian resources.[3][4]

Assassination

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Đureković was assassinated in Wolfratshausen, West Germany by UDBA agents in 1983 in "Operation Dunav".[2][5] Đureković's remains were reburied at Zagreb's Mirogoj cemetery in 1999.[6]

In 2005, Germany issued an arrest warrant on Josip Perković for his involvement in the assassination.[7] Krunoslav Prates was also put on trial on charges relating to the crime.[8]

The German court trying Prates threatened to take action against Croatian officials who obstructed testimony at the trial, [clarification needed] including Croatian president Stjepan Mesić.[9] In 2008, Krunoslav Prates was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the assassination.[10]

In 2009, Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office issued warrants for Zdravko Mustač, Ivan Cetinić, Ivan Lasić and Boris Brnelić for involvement in the murder as members of the UDBA.[11] In October 2009, German police arrested Luka Sekula, a Croat with Swedish citizenship, for participation in the murder.[12][13]

On 1 January 2014, Josip Perković was arrested in Zagreb. His trial began in Germany in mid-2014.[14] In August 2016, both Perković and Zdravko Mustač were proclaimed guilty in a first-instance verdict and sentenced to life imprisonment for abetting the murder of Đureković.[15]

Publications

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  • Ja, Josip Broz-Tito: roman, 1982.
  • Kako Jugoslavija pljačka Hrvatsku, poslije 1982.
  • Komunizam: velika prevara, 1982.
  • Sinovi orla = Bijt’ e Shqiponjës: roman, 1982.
  • Slom ideala: (ispovijed Titovog ministra): roman, 1982., New York, 1983.
  • Crveni menageri, Washington, 1983.
  • Yugoslavia in crisis: the political and economic dimensions, New York, 1983. (suautor Ivan Botić)
  • Yugoslavia’s energy crisis, 1983.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Arkan Se Otvoreno Hvalio Da Je Đurekoviću Raskolio Glavu". Slobodna Dalmacija. 22 August 2000. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d Dossier: Slučaj Perković ili tko su hrvatski obavještajci, 24sata.hr; accessed 20 January 2016.(in Croatian)
  3. ^ "Yugoslavia in crisis", openlibrary.org; accessed 11 March 2016.
  4. ^ Meštrović, Stjepan Gabriel, Miroslav Goreta & Slaven Letica; The Road from paradise: prospects for democracy in Eastern Europe. University Press of Kentucky, 1993. (p. 77)
  5. ^ Suspect in Đureković killing captured in Germany Archived 2014-01-04 at the Wayback Machine, hrt.hr, 9 July 2005; accessed 20 January 2016.(in Croatian)
  6. ^ Đureković sentence by Dolanc, Planinc, Spiljak and Ljubicic?, vjesnik.hr; accessed 20 January 2016. (in Croatian)
  7. ^ Suspected of being involved in killings of Stjepan Đureković, Danas Archived 25 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Ante Pavić (19 May 2006). "Prekinuto suđenje Pratesu" [Prates trial suspended]. Nacional (weekly). Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  9. ^ Vijesti.net - Minhenski sudac prijavit će Mesića zbog uplitanja u Pratesov sudski proces?, index.hr; accessed 20 January 2016.(in Croatian)
  10. ^ Prates life imprisonment for role in Đureković killing Archived 2008-07-18 at the Wayback Machine, vecernji.hr; accessed 11 March 2016.
  11. ^ Tjeralica iz Njemačke za udbašima Archived 2012-04-17 at the Wayback Machine, polizei.bayern.de; accessed 20 January 2016.(in German)
  12. ^ U Njemačkoj uhićen bivši jugoslavenski agent zbog ubojstva Stjepana Đurekovića, Slobodna Dalmacija; accessed 20 January 2016.(in Croatian)
  13. ^ Udbaš Vinko Sindičić uhićen u Njemačkoj, slobodnadalmacija.hr; accessed 11 March 2016.(in Croatian)
  14. ^ Former Yugoslav intelligence agent Josip Perković arrested in Zagreb, euronews.com, 1 January 2014; accessed 20 January 2016.
  15. ^ Sven Milekic (3 August 2016). "Yugoslav Spy Chiefs Jailed for Life". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
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