Ante Bruno Bušić (6 October 1939 – 16 October 1978) was a

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

n writer and critic of the government of

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...

. He was one of the best-known victims of

UDBA The State Security Service ( hr, Služba državne sigurnosti, sr, Служба државне безбедности; mk, Служба за државна безбедност; sl, Služba državne varnosti), also known by its original name ...

(Yugoslav

secret police Secret police (or political police) are intelligence, security or police agencies that engage in covert operations against a government's political, religious, or social opponents and dissidents. Secret police organizations are characteristic of a ...

) killings.

Biography

Bušić was born in the village of Vinjani Donji near

Imotski Imotski (; it, Imoschi; lat, Emotha, later ''Imota'') is a small town on the northern side of the Biokovo massif in the Dalmatian Hinterland of southern Croatia, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Imotski, like the surrounding inland D ...

. By the time he enrolled into high school in Imotski, he was already involved in activities which communist authorities considered rebellious. In 1957, he joined a group called Tiho (''silently'', lit. - ''quietly'') whose aim was to "fight for freedom, equality and the formation of a free Croatia based on democratic principles". It was at that time that the

(Yugoslav

) began watching him. Bušić, along with his schoolmates who had also participated in Tiho, was expelled from school soon after. Two years later, the expelled students were allowed to return to school. Bušić went on to enroll in the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb ( hr, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, ; la, Universitas Studiorum Zagrabiensis) is the largest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of ...

and earned a degree in economics in 1964. The following year, he got a job at the Institute for the History of Croatia's Workers' Movement ( hr, Institut za povijest radničkoga pokreta Hrvatske), which was run by former Yugoslav general and future Croatian president

Franjo Tuđman Franjo Tuđman (; 14 May 1922 – 10 December 1999), also written as Franjo Tudjman, was a Croatian politician and historian. Following the country's independence from Yugoslavia, he became the first president of Croatia and served as p ...

. In 1966, he was sentenced to prison for his political views, but he had escaped to Austria during the trial. At the behest of Tuđman, who still had great influence in Yugoslavia, Bušić returned to Zagreb and was not sent to prison. In 1967, he resumed work at the Institute. In 1969, Bušić moved on to write for the ''Hrvatski književni list'' (''Croatian Literary Paper''). There he confronted several issues considered controversial by Yugoslav officials. The paper was eventually banned. This led Bušić to emigrate to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

for a period of time during which he attended the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

. Upon his return in 1971, he became one of directors of the ''Hrvatski tjednik'' (''Croatian Weekly''). That same year the Yugoslav government issued a crackdown on what had been called the

Croatian Spring The Croatian Spring ( hr, Hrvatsko proljeće), or Maspok, was a political conflict that took place from 1967 to 1971 in the Socialist Republic of Croatia, at the time part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. As one of six republic ...

(''Hrvatsko proljeće''). Bušić was among those arrested and spent time in prison until 1973. He left Yugoslavia for the last time in 1975. He spent most of the time afterwards living in England, but travelled extensively through the rest of Europe. He wrote for '' Nova Hrvatska'' (''New Croatia'') during this period. He was killed in Paris, France, in 1978 by an agent of

, the Yugoslav

. Exactly 21 years after his death, with Croatia having gained independence, his remains were moved from Paris to the

Mirogoj cemetery The Mirogoj City Cemetery (, hr, Gradsko groblje Mirogoj), also known as Mirogoj Cemetery ( hr, Groblje Mirogoj), is a cemetery park that is considered to be among the more noteworthy landmarks in the city of Zagreb. The cemetery inters members o ...

in Zagreb and laid to rest next to the dead of the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yugosl ...

. Vinko Sindičić, a former

agent, was prosecuted for the murder of Bušić. He was found not guilty in 2000. On 6 June 2005,

Supreme Court of Croatia , image = Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia.jpg , imagesize = 220px , caption = Palace of the Supreme Court is located at the Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square , established = , country = , location = Zagreb , coordinates = , type = ...

upheld the verdict.

Honours

Order of Duke Domagoj The Order of Duke Domagoj ( hr, Red kneza Domagoja) is the 8th most important medal given by the Republic of Croatia and is the nation's highest award for bravery. The order was founded on April 1, 1995. The medal is awarded for valor in combat. ...

1995 (posthumously) *

Order of Stjepan Radić The Order of Stjepan Radić ( hr, Red Stjepana Radića) is a Croatian national decoration which ranks thirteenth in importance. The order was formed on 1 April 1995. The Order of Stjepan Radić is granted to Croatians and foreigners for services ...

1995 (posthumously)

References

External links

Who killed Bruno Bušić?, OCTOBER 17, 2012 / 20COMMITTEE
{{DEFAULTSORT:Busic, Bruno 1939 births 1978 deaths Assassinated Croatian journalists Croatian people murdered abroad People murdered in Paris People from Imotski Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb alumni University of Paris alumni Croatian dissidents Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery Order of Ante Starčević recipients Yugoslav dissidents Extrajudicial killings Assassinated Yugoslav people 20th-century journalists Yugoslav expatriates in France 1978 murders in France 1970s murders in Paris