Vlado Gotovac

Vlado Gotovac (actually Vladimir Gotovac ; born September 18, 1930 in Imotski , † December 7, 2000 in Rome ) was a Croatian dissident , poet and liberal politician .

Life

Monument to Gotovac in his hometown Imotski

Vladimir Gotovac was a well-known and very talented poet. The dissident was stigmatized as a nationalist during the communist regime in socialist Yugoslavia and spent several years as a political prisoner in Stara Gradiška prison after the suppression of the Croatian Spring . In many of his interviews, Gotovac often expressed his frustration at not having sufficient freedoms, such as those enjoyed by people in democratic states.

Gotovac became an advisor to the director of Croatian television in 1990 . Gotovac was a founding member of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS). After differences with other party members about the future of the party, he founded the Croatian Liberal Party (LS).

Gotovac was famous for his legendary speech on Krešimir Square in Zagreb in front of what was then the command building of the Military Court of the 5th Military Administration in Zagreb on August 30, 1991. This speech took place during the protest rallies of mothers of soldiers whose sons were used for violence Remain in the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) were forced. After his death he was buried in the Mirogoj cemetery in Zagreb .

Web links

• NZZ, A Croatian Havel? (April 28, 2007)
• Matica Hrvatska, Gotovac 'speech in front of the JNA command building on August 30, 1991 (Croatian)