My lawyer was right when he guessed that my appeal with the regional court in Pula against the decision of the municipal court in Pazin concerning insult of the mayor of Motovun will take about six months at least (“The Next and Crucial Step,” January 21, 2011). The decision of the court in Pula arrived this morning. Not surprizingly, it upholds the decision of the court in Pazin. My appeal concerning insult has failed, and so has the appeal of the mayor of Motovun and the Municipality of Motovun against the decision of the court in Pazin concerning libel.

Before I appeal to the court in Strasbourg, I must appeal again, this time to the highest court in Zagreb (“My Victory,” January 27, 2011). That will exhaust my legal means in this country, which is a precondition for going abroad. The next appeal must focus on political repression in Motovun. All three lawsuits came my way just before the municipal elections in 2009. They were designed to stop me in my tracks as an opponent of the excessive number of villas, houses, and apartments in connection with golf development in Motovun. At the time, I was leading the Motovun branch of the Green Party – Green Alternative, which was opposed to the abuses of golf as a sport.

The financial crisis has intervened, of course. Golf development is hardly ever mentioned in Motovun these days. But the threat is still there. Picturesque as it is, the hilltown will keep attracting developers, and especially those bent on quick returns. It is therefore essential to continue the battle, and not only to protect myself from undemocratic ways of this municipality. I am not involved in any political organization any longer, but the battle remains political as ever. And crooked golf is squarely behind it. The way things look at the moment, the battle will take several more years. With some luck, it will be over around the time that Croatia enters the European Union. This is very much to my advantage, too.