Zvonimir Šeparović

Who is Zvonimir Šeparović?

Zvonimir Šeparović is a Croatian legal scholar and politician.

Šeparović used to be professor of Criminal Law at the University of Zagreb. He was also known as the pioneer of victimology and very vocal opponent of death penalty.

Although he lacked any formal party or political affiliation, in 1991 he became foreign minister in the "National Government" government of Franjo Gregurić. In 1992 he became the Permanent Representative of Croatia to the United Nations. He was sacked by President Franjo Tuđman over alleged diplomatic gaffe. He was in disagreement with Tuđman regarding the foreign policy and he gained in popularity which Tuđman found threatening.

Šeparović remained active in public life and did at one point become both a member of the Croatian Democratic Union as well as a member of the party's Central Committee.

In 2000, he entered the presidential race as an independent candidate, opposed to the official HDZ candidate Mate Granić. He finished last and, immediately after being informed about projected results, urged his supporters to vote for Dražen Budiša in the second round.

Zvonimir Šeparović is married to Branka Šeparović, a Croatian Radiotelevision TV reporter.