Ivo Pukanic
Encyclopedia
Ivo Pukanić was a Croatia
n journalist
and the editor of the popular Croatian political weekly Nacional
.
of the University of Zagreb
in 1983, after which he started working for the publisher Vjesnik
as a photographer for two of their magazine
s, Start and Studio.
In 1992, he started his career as a journalist and editor of the popular weekly Globus
. He left Globus in 1995 to start Nacional, where was the editor-in-chief until 2000. The same year Pukanić received an award from Croatian Journalists' Association
. He also later received an award for a 2003 interview with army general Ante Gotovina
, who was at the time on the run due to accusations of war crimes by the ICTY.
Pukanić had a wife, Mirjana, and a daughter, Sara (born c. 1991).
on October 23, 2008, at 6.10 p.m. local time
by a bomb
planted on a motorcycle
parked next to his parked Lexus LS600hL
in the center
of Zagreb
, the capital of Croatia
. He was killed alongside Niko Franjić, the Nacional marketing manager. The incident happened in Stara Vlaška Street, only two street blocks east of Ban Jelačić Square
, the central square of Zagreb. It was caught on CCTV
, with the footage showing the explosion moments before Pukanić and Franjić were about to enter the vehicle.
Nacional reporter Plamenko Cvitić was the first news reporter on the scene. The police immediately blocked the traffic around the site of assassination, causing immense traffic jams all over the city center. Prime Minister Ivo Sanader
declined a proposal for entering a state of emergency
.
Eight people, suspected of having connections to organised crime groups, were indicted. Six were later convicted over Pukanić's murder with prison terms ranging from 15 to 40 years.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and the editor of the popular Croatian political weekly Nacional
Nacional (weekly)
Nacional is a Croatian weekly newsmagazine published in Zagreb.-History:Nacional was started in 1995 by Denis Kuljiš, Ivo Pukanić and other journalists dissatisfied with the editorial policies of Croatian weekly newspaper Globus. Both publications were hostile to the ruling HDZ government...
.
Life and career
Pukanić was born in Zagreb. He graduated from the Faculty of Political SciencesPolitical science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
of the University of Zagreb
University of Zagreb
The University of Zagreb is the biggest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of Southeastern Europe...
in 1983, after which he started working for the publisher Vjesnik
Vjesnik
Vjesnik is a Croatian daily newspaper, published in Zagreb. Through its history, it has been considered a newspaper of record.The paper was originally printed as a monthly publication by the League of Communists of Croatia starting in 1940...
as a photographer for two of their magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
s, Start and Studio.
In 1992, he started his career as a journalist and editor of the popular weekly Globus
Globus (weekly)
Globus is a Croatian weekly news magazine published in Zagreb.The magazine was started in 1990, having some of its first issues published during the Croatian War of Independence. Originally devised as tabloid, it never took an openly chauvinist approach of Slobodni tjednik and always tried to give...
. He left Globus in 1995 to start Nacional, where was the editor-in-chief until 2000. The same year Pukanić received an award from Croatian Journalists' Association
Croatian Journalists' Association
The Croatian Journalists' Association is a Croatian association based in Zagreb aimed at promoting freedom of the press and free speech in journalism....
. He also later received an award for a 2003 interview with army general Ante Gotovina
Ante Gotovina
Ante Gotovina is a former Senior Corporal of the French Foreign Legion and former Lieutenant General of the Croatian Army who served in the Croatian War for Independence...
, who was at the time on the run due to accusations of war crimes by the ICTY.
Pukanić had a wife, Mirjana, and a daughter, Sara (born c. 1991).
Assassination
Pukanić was assassinatedAssassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
on October 23, 2008, at 6.10 p.m. local time
Central European Time
Central European Time , used in most parts of the European Union, is a standard time that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time . The time offset from UTC can be written as +01:00...
by a bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
planted on a motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
parked next to his parked Lexus LS600hL
Lexus LS Hybrid
The Lexus LS is the fourth generation of the Lexus LS line of flagship sedans. Lexus debuted the model line at the 2006 North American International Auto Show, with variants including the standard wheelbase LS 460 and long wheelbase LS 460 L ; the chassis codes are derived from the fourth...
in the center
Donji Grad
Donji grad is one of the 17 city districts of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. It is located in the central part of the city and has 45,108 inhabitants . The official name of the district is rarely used, for it is dubbed centar by most of the Zagreb residents....
of Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, the capital of Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. He was killed alongside Niko Franjić, the Nacional marketing manager. The incident happened in Stara Vlaška Street, only two street blocks east of Ban Jelačić Square
Ban Jelacic Square
Ban Jelačić Square is the central square of the city of Zagreb, Croatia, named after ban Josip Jelačić. The official name is Trg bana Jelačića...
, the central square of Zagreb. It was caught on CCTV
Closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors....
, with the footage showing the explosion moments before Pukanić and Franjić were about to enter the vehicle.
Nacional reporter Plamenko Cvitić was the first news reporter on the scene. The police immediately blocked the traffic around the site of assassination, causing immense traffic jams all over the city center. Prime Minister Ivo Sanader
Ivo Sanader
Ivo Sanader |Split]]) is a Croatian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Croatia from 2003 to 2009.Sanader obtained his education in comparative literature in Austria, where he also later worked in the 1980s. He worked as a journalist, in marketing, publishing and also as a private...
declined a proposal for entering a state of emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
.
Eight people, suspected of having connections to organised crime groups, were indicted. Six were later convicted over Pukanić's murder with prison terms ranging from 15 to 40 years.