Vladimir Šeks
Encyclopedia
Vladimir Šeks is an influential Croatia
n politician, a member of the Croatian Democratic Union
(HDZ). He has been a representative in the Croatian Parliament since the nation's independence, and has held the posts of the Speaker of the Parliament as well as Deputy Prime Minister of the Government.
Šeks graduated from the Law Faculty in Zagreb in 1966. From 1972 to 1981 he worked as an attorney. In 1981 he was arrested for "anti-state actions" against communist Yugoslavia. He served 13 months in prison which he served at Stara Gradiška
.
In 1990, Vladimir Šeks was one of the founders of the Osijek
branch of the Croatian Democratic Union
. In 1991, he was a notable figure in the Croatian War of Independence
, and he was also one of the main drafters of the Constitution of Croatia
. In 1992, he was named the State Prosecutor of the Republic of Croatia.
Vladimir Šeks has been among the deputies of the President of the Government of Croatia
under Hrvoje Šarinić
and Nikica Valentić
from 1992 to 1995.
Šeks served as the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament from 22 December 2003 to 11 January 2008.
Šeks's 25-year-old son Domagoj, was found dead in Goa
, India
on 26 February 2005 after he was reported missing by friends a day earlier. The exact circumstances of his death were never determined.
In 2009, Šeks testified in the Branimir Glavaš
trial as a witness for the defence, and his testimony was later dismissed by the presiding judge as "completely implausible", while the court rendered a guilty verdict.
In 2010, Amnesty International
stated Šeks should be prosecuted based on the other testimonies in the Glavaš trial.
In January 2011 the Ministry of Justice
responded to the AI report saying their conclusions were "arbitrary and wrong" in the case of Šeks.
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 politician, a member of the Croatian Democratic Union
Croatian Democratic Union
The Croatian Democratic Union is the main center-right political party in Croatia. It is the biggest and strongest individual Croatian party since independence of Croatia. The Christian democratic HDZ governed Croatia from 1990 to 2000 and, in partial coalition, from 2003...
(HDZ). He has been a representative in the Croatian Parliament since the nation's independence, and has held the posts of the Speaker of the Parliament as well as Deputy Prime Minister of the Government.
Šeks graduated from the Law Faculty in Zagreb in 1966. From 1972 to 1981 he worked as an attorney. In 1981 he was arrested for "anti-state actions" against communist Yugoslavia. He served 13 months in prison which he served at Stara Gradiška
Stara Gradiška
Stara Gradiška is a village and a municipality in the Brod-Posavina county of Croatia. It has 542 residents, while the municipality has 1,717 , in six other smaller villages...
.
In 1990, Vladimir Šeks was one of the founders of the Osijek
Osijek
Osijek is the fourth largest city in Croatia with a population of 83,496 in 2011. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja county...
branch of the Croatian Democratic Union
Croatian Democratic Union
The Croatian Democratic Union is the main center-right political party in Croatia. It is the biggest and strongest individual Croatian party since independence of Croatia. The Christian democratic HDZ governed Croatia from 1990 to 2000 and, in partial coalition, from 2003...
. In 1991, he was a notable figure in the Croatian War of Independence
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
, and he was also one of the main drafters of the Constitution of Croatia
Constitution of Croatia
The current Constitution of the Republic of Croatia was adopted by the Parliament of the Republic of Croatia on December 22, 1990. It replaced the Constitution of 1974 ratified in socialist Yugoslavia...
. In 1992, he was named the State Prosecutor of the Republic of Croatia.
Vladimir Šeks has been among the deputies of the President of the Government of Croatia
Government of Croatia
The Government of the Republic of Croatia , commonly abbreviated to Croatian Government , is the main element of the executive branch of government in Croatia. It is led by the President of the Government , commonly abbreviated to premier...
under Hrvoje Šarinić
Hrvoje Šarinic
Hrvoje Šarinić is a Croatian politician.Šarinić was born in Sušak, Rijeka and graduated from the University of Zagreb then-Faculty of Architecture, Construction and Geodesy....
and Nikica Valentić
Nikica Valentic
Nikica Valentić is a Croatian politician.Native of Gospić, Valentić graduated from the University of Zagreb Faculty of Law.Before being involved in politics, Valentić was a high-ranking official of INA, the Croatian oil company....
from 1992 to 1995.
Šeks served as the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament from 22 December 2003 to 11 January 2008.
Šeks's 25-year-old son Domagoj, was found dead in Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
on 26 February 2005 after he was reported missing by friends a day earlier. The exact circumstances of his death were never determined.
In 2009, Šeks testified in the Branimir Glavaš
Branimir Glavaš
Branimir Glavaš is a controversial Croatian right-wing politician and a convicted war criminal.Glavaš came to prominence in his home city of Osijek during the Croatian war of independence, when he led its defense and became a major general in the Croatian Army...
trial as a witness for the defence, and his testimony was later dismissed by the presiding judge as "completely implausible", while the court rendered a guilty verdict.
In 2010, Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
stated Šeks should be prosecuted based on the other testimonies in the Glavaš trial.
In January 2011 the Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Justice (Croatia)
The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Croatia is the ministry in the Government of Croatia which is in charge of prosecuting government cases and the administration of institutions falling within the scope of the judiciary system ....
responded to the AI report saying their conclusions were "arbitrary and wrong" in the case of Šeks.
Honours
- Grand Order of King Petar Krešimir IVGrand Order of King Petar Krešimir IVThe Grand Order of King Petar Krešimir IV , or more fully the Grand Order of King Petar Krešimir IV with sash and Morning Star , is an order of the Republic of Croatia. It ranks third in the Croatian order of precedence after the Grand Order of Queen Jelena. The next order in rank is the Grand...
(2008) - Third-highest Croatian state award and the 16th of its kind awarded since its establishment.