Former HDZ Councilor Milan Drača Found Murdered in Zadar

Milan Drača, a former city councilor for the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) in Zadar, Croatia, has been found dead. Drača, who was 51 years old, had a notable public profile in the city, serving as a councilor and holding various other positions throughout his career.

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I am a Man, a Zadar resident, a Dalmatian, a Serb...

Drača's identity was often a point of discussion, as he publicly identified as both a Serb and a member of the HDZ, a predominantly Croatian nationalist party. He once stated that his political alignment was a personal rejection of Slobodan Milošević and an expression of resistance to the events unfolding across the border during the Croatian War of Independence. He joined the defenders in the Homeland War at 16.

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At that time, it was the most natural choice for me. In a way, it was my personal 'no' to Slobodan Milošević and an intimate resistance to what was happening on the other side. Someone attacked my city, and I didn't care who it was. The fact that my uncle, Davor Aras, was in the top ranks of the Zadar HDZ certainly had an influence.

He was aware that some Serbs viewed him as a traitor, while some within HDZ considered him a "suspicious person." Drača maintained that his position in the City Council, achieved through the right-wing coalition, carried a responsibility to conservative voters, but also a moral obligation to the Serb community, given his heritage.

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No one told me to my face that I was a traitor, but among Serbs, there are certainly those. Just as there are Croats who cannot come to terms with the fact that I sit in the City Council and that it is good for Croatian Zadar.

Throughout his career, Drača worked at the National Museum Zadar and later as a municipal inspector for the City of Zadar. He was also involved in legal matters, including a case against Croatia at the European Court of Human Rights concerning the right to a fair trial. In 2022, he reported the director of the National Museum to the State Attorney's Office for suspected criminal acts.

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I am a member of the City Council and a resident of Zadar, and I gained my mandate on the list of the right-wing coalition. This conditions my responsibility to the voters of the conservative parties of the HDZ coalition, but the fact that I wouldn't be here if I weren't Serb, there is also a moral obligation to the Serb community.