Zlatko Hasanbegovic

Croatia's public broadcaster, Croatian Radio-Television, HRT, is continuing to replace editors and journalists in what critics have called a politically inspired purge of alleged leftists.

One anonymous source complained to BIRN that the removals were being done according to purely political criteria.

A rediscovered video of culture minister Zlatko Hasanbegovic expressing sympathy for Croatia’s WWII Nazi puppet state is yet another embarrassment for the government, critics said.

The future of Culture Minister Zlatko Hasanbegovic looked more uncertain after a newspaper revealed that in 1996 he wrote articles hailing Croatian Fascist Ustasa fighters as heroes.

Croatian Culture Minister Zlatko Hasanbegovic has said that a photograph showing him wearing an Ustasha hat is "a hoax" meant to "discredit him."

He also announced he had no plans to resign.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center has expressed its "shock and indignation at several actions taken, and comments made" by Zlatko Hasanbegovic.

Hasanbegovic is the newly-appointed Croatian culture minister.

Simon Wiesenthal Center's Israel Office Director Efraim Zuroff has announced he would send an official protest to the Croatian government.

It concerns the recent appointment of Zlatko Hasanbegovic as the country's minister of culture.