JBTZ-trial
Encyclopedia
The JBTZ trial, also known as the Ljubljana trial or the Trial against the Four was a political trial held in a military court in Slovenia
, then part of Yugoslavia
in 1988. The defendants, Janez Janša
, Ivan Borštner, David Tasić and Franci Zavrl, were sentenced to between six months and four years imprisonment for "betraying military secrets", after being involved in writing and publishing articles critical of the Yugoslav People's Army
. The trial sparked great uproar in Slovenia, and was an important event for the organization and development of the democratic opposition in the republic. The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights
was founded on the same day of the arrest, which is generally considered as the beginning of the so-called Slovenian Spring.
In the late 1980s, Slovenia embarked on a process of democratic reform, which went unparalleled in the other five Yugoslav republics. The Slovenian communist leadership, under Milan Kučan
, was allowing an ever greater degree of freedom of the press. The magazine Mladina
was taking advantage of this and became extremely popular in Slovenia, deliberately testing the borders of press freedom with news and satire breaking old taboos. In 1987 it started more and more frequently attacking the Yugoslav People's Army (YPA) and its leadership, for instance labeling the defense minister, Branko Mamula
, a "merchant of death" for selling arms to famine-stricken Ethiopia
. Many of the articles were written by the young defense expert Janez Janša, who soon became a particular irritant for the YPA leadership. As far as the YPA were concerned, Mladina were attacking the army, the main protector of Yugoslav unity, and hence attacking Yugoslavia itself. When they realized that the Slovene government were not going to crack down on Mladina, they decided to do so themselves.
In 1988, Mladina got its hands on notes from a secret meeting of the central committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia
, detailing plans for arrest of journalists and dissidents in Slovenia. Their possession of these documents gave the YPA the pretext it needed. Shortly after, on 31 May, Janša, another Mladina-journalist David Tasić and a Slovene sergeant in the YPA Ivan Borštner were arrested. Later the editor of Mladina Franci Zavrl was also arrested. They were charged with betraying military secrets, a charge that would have to be tried in a military court. Thus the government of Slovenia had no involvement in the proceedings.
of the Slovenian capital Ljubljana
on 22 June was attended by at least 40 000 people. All protests passed off peacefully, giving the army no excuse to intervene.
The trial was held in camera
, and the nature of the documents the accused were supposed to have revealed was never officially made public, giving rise to a plethora of rumors, and to the widespread assumption that the whole trial was a frame-up to get even with Janša and Mladina. In addition, the Army made the decision to hold the trial in the Serbo-Croatian language
rather than Slovenian
, in spite of provisions in the Slovene republican constitution that all official business in Slovenia should be conducted in the Slovene language. This further outraged Slovenian public opinion, to which the use of the Slovenian language was of great symbolic significance. The four accused were sentenced to between six months and four years imprisonment, and handed back to the Slovene authorities, which carried out the sentences in the mildest way possible. Zavrl later related how "I spent my days editing the magazine in my office and my nights in prison. On one occasion, when I was late getting back, I had to break into the prison over the wire!"
, the communist president of Slovenia, who publicly expressed sympathy for their cause. The trial became an important catalyst for the organisation of political movements in Slovenia. It also gave added strength to the idea that Slovenia should seek a greater degree of independence from the Yugoslav central authorities, a development which ended with the declaration of complete independence on 25 June 1991. Janša had by then become a prominent political figure, he became defense minister of Slovenia in 1990, and in 2004-2008 served as prime minister
of independent Slovenia.
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, then part of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
in 1988. The defendants, Janez Janša
Janez Janša
Janez Janša is a Slovenian politician who was Prime Minister of Slovenia from November 2004 to November 2008. He has also been President of the Slovenian Democratic Party since 1993...
, Ivan Borštner, David Tasić and Franci Zavrl, were sentenced to between six months and four years imprisonment for "betraying military secrets", after being involved in writing and publishing articles critical of the Yugoslav People's Army
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
. The trial sparked great uproar in Slovenia, and was an important event for the organization and development of the democratic opposition in the republic. The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights
Committee for the Defence of Human Rights
The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights was a civil society organization in Slovenia, which functioned during the so-called Slovenian Spring between 1988 and 1990....
was founded on the same day of the arrest, which is generally considered as the beginning of the so-called Slovenian Spring.
Background
Milan Kucan
Milan Kučan is a Slovenian politician and statesman. He was the first President of Slovenia.-Early life and political beginnings:...
, was allowing an ever greater degree of freedom of the press. The magazine Mladina
Mladina
Mladina is a Slovenian weekly left-wing current affairs magazine. It was first published in the 1920s as the youth magazine of the Slovenian Communist Party...
was taking advantage of this and became extremely popular in Slovenia, deliberately testing the borders of press freedom with news and satire breaking old taboos. In 1987 it started more and more frequently attacking the Yugoslav People's Army (YPA) and its leadership, for instance labeling the defense minister, Branko Mamula
Branko Mamula
Branko "Đuro" Mamula is a retired Yugoslav officer that participated in the Yugoslav Front of World War II. He was the Minister of Defence of Yugoslavia from 1982 to 1988.-Biography:Mamula was born in Kordun, now part of Croatia, to an ethnic Serb family....
, a "merchant of death" for selling arms to famine-stricken Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. Many of the articles were written by the young defense expert Janez Janša, who soon became a particular irritant for the YPA leadership. As far as the YPA were concerned, Mladina were attacking the army, the main protector of Yugoslav unity, and hence attacking Yugoslavia itself. When they realized that the Slovene government were not going to crack down on Mladina, they decided to do so themselves.
In 1988, Mladina got its hands on notes from a secret meeting of the central committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia
League of Communists of Yugoslavia
League of Communists of Yugoslavia , before 1952 the Communist Party of Yugoslavia League of Communists of Yugoslavia (Serbo-Croatian: Savez komunista Jugoslavije/Савез комуниста Југославије, Slovene: Zveza komunistov Jugoslavije, Macedonian: Сојуз на комунистите на Југославија, Sojuz na...
, detailing plans for arrest of journalists and dissidents in Slovenia. Their possession of these documents gave the YPA the pretext it needed. Shortly after, on 31 May, Janša, another Mladina-journalist David Tasić and a Slovene sergeant in the YPA Ivan Borštner were arrested. Later the editor of Mladina Franci Zavrl was also arrested. They were charged with betraying military secrets, a charge that would have to be tried in a military court. Thus the government of Slovenia had no involvement in the proceedings.
The trial
The YPA was hoping to impose a level of control on Slovenia, and assert its authority in the republic. In the event however, the JBTZ trial, as it became known from the initials of the accused (Janša, Borštner, Tasić, Zavrl), was a complete failure for the YPA, and only served to alienate the Slovenes from Yugoslavia. Slovene public opinion rallied massively behind the four accused. A Committee for the defense of Human Rights was formed, and a petition drawn up in support of the four accused gathered 100 000 signatures. A demonstration on the central Congress SquareCongress Square
Congress Square is one of the central squares in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.The square was built in 1821 at the site of the ruins of a medieval Capuchin monastery, which had been abolished during the reign of Habsburg Emperor Joseph II. The square was used for ceremonial purposes during...
of the Slovenian capital Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
on 22 June was attended by at least 40 000 people. All protests passed off peacefully, giving the army no excuse to intervene.
The trial was held in camera
In camera
In camera is a legal term meaning "in private". It is also sometimes termed in chambers or in curia.In camera describes court cases that the public and press are not admitted to...
, and the nature of the documents the accused were supposed to have revealed was never officially made public, giving rise to a plethora of rumors, and to the widespread assumption that the whole trial was a frame-up to get even with Janša and Mladina. In addition, the Army made the decision to hold the trial in the Serbo-Croatian language
Serbo-Croatian language
Serbo-Croatian or Serbo-Croat, less commonly Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian , is a South Slavic language with multiple standards and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro...
rather than Slovenian
Slovenian language
Slovene or Slovenian is a South Slavic language spoken by approximately 2.5 million speakers worldwide, the majority of whom live in Slovenia. It is the first language of about 1.85 million people and is one of the 23 official and working languages of the European Union...
, in spite of provisions in the Slovene republican constitution that all official business in Slovenia should be conducted in the Slovene language. This further outraged Slovenian public opinion, to which the use of the Slovenian language was of great symbolic significance. The four accused were sentenced to between six months and four years imprisonment, and handed back to the Slovene authorities, which carried out the sentences in the mildest way possible. Zavrl later related how "I spent my days editing the magazine in my office and my nights in prison. On one occasion, when I was late getting back, I had to break into the prison over the wire!"
Aftermath
The effect of the JBTZ trial was what James Gow and Cathie Carmichael calls the "homogenization" of Slovene politics - it gave all Slovenes, irrespective of political stance, something to agree on. The opposition, organized in the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights, was received by Janez StanovnikJanez Stanovnik
Janez Stanovnik is a Slovenian economist, politician, and former partisan. He served as the last President of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia between 1988 and 1990...
, the communist president of Slovenia, who publicly expressed sympathy for their cause. The trial became an important catalyst for the organisation of political movements in Slovenia. It also gave added strength to the idea that Slovenia should seek a greater degree of independence from the Yugoslav central authorities, a development which ended with the declaration of complete independence on 25 June 1991. Janša had by then become a prominent political figure, he became defense minister of Slovenia in 1990, and in 2004-2008 served as prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
of independent Slovenia.
Sources
- James Gow, Legitimacy and the Military - The Yugoslav Crisis, (London: Pinter, 1992)
- James Gow & Cathie Carmichael, Slovenia and the Slovenes: A Small State and the New Europe, (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2001)
- Laura Silber & Alan Little, The Death of Yugoslavia, (London: Penguin, 1995)
- Sabrina Petra Ramet, Slovenia's road to democracy in Europe-Asia StudiesEurope-Asia StudiesEurope-Asia Studies is an academic peer-reviewed journal published 10 times a year by Routledge on behalf of the Institute of Central and East European Studies, University of Glasgow, and continuing the journal Soviet Studies , which was renamed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union...
, 1993, vol. 45, issue 5