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 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.Dossier: Slučaj Perković ili tko su hrvatski obavještajci, 24sata.hr; accessed 20 January 2016.
Business career in FPR/SFR Yugoslavia
After the war he rose to a position within INA.
Relocation to West Germany 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. 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."Yugoslavia in crisis", openlibrary.org; accessed 11 March 2016.Meštrović, Stjepan Gabriel, Miroslav Goreta & Slaven Letica; The Road from paradise: prospects for democracy in Eastern Europe. University Press of Kentucky, 1993. (p. 77)
Assassination Đureković was assassinated in Wolfratshausen, West Germany by UDBA agents in 1983 in "Operation Dunav".Suspect in Đureković killing captured in Germany , hrt.hr, 9 July 2005; accessed 20 January 2016. Đureković's remains were reburied at Zagreb's Mirogoj cemetery in 1999.Đureković sentence by Dolanc, Planinc, Spiljak and Ljubicic?, vjesnik.hr; accessed 20 January 2016.
In 2005, Germany issued an arrest warrant on Josip Perković for his involvement in the assassination.Suspected of being involved in killings of Stjepan Đureković, Danas Krunoslav Prates was also put on trial on charges relating to the crime.
The German court trying Prates threatened to take action against Croatian officials who obstructed testimony at the trial, including Croatian president Stjepan Mesić.Vijesti.net - Minhenski sudac prijavit će Mesića zbog uplitanja u Pratesov sudski proces?, index.hr; accessed 20 January 2016. In 2008, Krunoslav Prates was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the assassination.Prates life imprisonment for role in Đureković killing , vecernji.hr; accessed 11 March 2016.
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.Tjeralica iz Njemačke za udbašima , polizei.bayern.de; accessed 20 January 2016. In October 2009, German police arrested Luka Sekula, a Croat with Swedish citizenship, for participation in the murder.U Njemačkoj uhićen bivši jugoslavenski agent zbog ubojstva Stjepana Đurekovića, Slobodna Dalmacija; accessed 20 January 2016.Udbaš Vinko Sindičić uhićen u Njemačkoj, slobodnadalmacija.hr; accessed 11 March 2016.
On 1 January 2014, Josip Perković was arrested in Zagreb. His trial began in Germany in mid-2014.Former Yugoslav intelligence agent Josip Perković arrested in Zagreb, euronews.com, 1 January 2014; accessed 20 January 2016. 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.
Publications 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 State Security Service
References