Puhovski for NAP on Gavrankapetanović's dismissal: After 30 years, people are again being persecuted over petitions

The turmoil over the dismissal of Dr. Ismet Gavrankapetanović from the position of head of the Clinic for Orthopedics and Traumatology at KCUS is not subsiding, reports the Patria agency.

Numerous prominent experts from the country and abroad cannot believe that something like this could happen in such a manner.

One of them is the prominent Croatian political scientist, philosopher, political analyst, and long-time human rights activist Žarko Puhovski.

Puhovski said in an interview with the Patria agency that he cannot believe people are being persecuted over a petition, and recalled that 30 years ago he went through a similar situation at the hands of the then Yugoslav regime due to a petition supporting former BiH President Alija Izetbegović.

- This is a tragicomic scandal. The fact is that I am a person who, 30 years ago, was harassed by the old Yugoslav regime for signing a petition supporting Alija Izetbegović, who was imprisoned. Now, after 30 years, it is happening that people are being persecuted over a petition, that people are being dismissed outside of deadlines, that those who sign petitions are being persecuted. This is prehistoric and does not belong to the type of regime we established after the collapse of the old system – says Puhovski.

Professor Puhovski added that it is terrible that no one has the courage to raise their voice against the way Dr. Ismet Gavrankapetanović was dismissed. 

- Someone who was the head of the main orthopedic clinic for 19 years to be treated in that way, to be fired, not dismissed, but fired, this is about feudal relations.  And that not two coherent sentences can be said about it shows that BiH is falling back into the worst traits of the old order – emphasizes Puhovski.

Žarko Puhovski is convinced that in the end, “experts will say who is a good expert and who is not.”