What did Anušić say about hazardous waste disposal?

He stated that anyone who deliberately disposes of hazardous waste deserves the harshest penalties and sanctions because it can cause illnesses in people, children, and future generations.

What did Anušić compare arson and waste disposal to?

He said such acts border on terrorism, especially due to the destruction of infrastructure and the use of military and firefighting resources.

What is expected from the session in Gospić?

Anušić expects the session of the Parliamentary Committee on Environment and Nature to lead to the swift remediation of the hazardous waste site.

Who will prosecute those responsible for waste disposal?

Anušić announced that DORH will hear all those responsible in the chain and that USKOK is doing its job.

Croatia

Anušić: Disposal of Hazardous Waste Borders on Terrorism

B.J. · Prije 9h | 3 min

Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Demands Harshest Penalties for Hazardous Waste Disposal and Arson, Announces Action by DORH and USKOK

Summary

Anušić demands harshest penalties for hazardous waste disposal and arson.
He compared these acts to terrorism due to infrastructure destruction and resource depletion.
He expects the Committee session in Gospić to lead to swift remediation of hazardous waste sites.
DORH and USKOK are working on prosecuting those responsible in the waste disposal chain.

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Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ivan Anušić on Monday demanded the harshest possible penalties for anyone who deliberately disposes of hazardous waste or sets fires, stating that such acts border on terrorism. He made the remarks in Belišće, where he attended the unveiling of a memorial plaque to fallen members of the Croatian Army and Police, civilian victims of the Homeland War, and workers of the Belišće Combine.

"Anyone who participated in this must be held accountable and receive the harshest punishment because it borders on terrorism," Anušić said. He emphasized that someone who is consciously and deliberately willing to dispose of hazardous waste that can cause a range of illnesses in people, children, and generations not yet born deserves the harshest penalty and sanctions available.

Expects Swift Remediation of the Site in Gospić

The minister also commented on today's session of the Parliamentary Committee on Environment and Nature in Gospić, which focused on hazardous waste. He expects the session to lead to the swift remediation of the site. "The DORH will do everything necessary and hear all those who were responsible in this chain," Anušić said, adding that USKOK is certainly doing its job as well.

As he pointed out, this is a challenging and specific criminal offense that requires a methodical approach, composure, and the identification of responsible individuals, their prosecution, and punishment to prevent any recurrence of similar actions in the future.

Fires Destroy Resources and Claim Lives

Anušić particularly warned against arson, for which he demands maximum tightening of penalties, given the enormous material damage every year, and now the first victims of such behavior have fallen.

"This is something that borders on serious criminal offenses, I would say perhaps even terrorism, because when you do what you did in the midst of the tourist season, when you destroy infrastructure, when you use the resources of the Croatian Armed Forces, in this case I am talking about firefighting planes, when you use the resources of the Croatian Firefighting Community, when you use the resources of civil society, when someone loses their life, then it deserves the worst possible and harshest penalty we can impose at this moment," Anušić assessed.

The minister thus clearly linked the recent fires in Croatia to the need for drastically stricter sanctions, emphasizing that extinguishing them consumes the resources of the Armed Forces, including firefighting planes, and the Croatian Firefighting Community, while infrastructure suffers and, in the worst cases, human lives are lost.