Reflecting on Croatia, the HRW said that in 2006 sustained international pressure combined with a maturing democratic process led to some progress on human rights in the country. The key concerns continued to stem from the 1991-95 war, particularly the return and reintegration of Croatian Serb refugees and the rights of the Serb minority generally, together with accountability for war crimes, the report said.
"Of the estimated 300,000 to 350,000 Croatian Serbs who left their homes during the 1991-95 war, mainly for Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, over 120,000 had registered their return to Croatia by August 2006. But international and local organizations estimate that only 60 to 65 percent remain permanently in Croatia, with many leaving after a short stay," read the report, launched on the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the Guantanamo prison.
Resolving lost housing rights for returning Serbs remains a qualified success, the report said adding that most Serbs had been able to repossess privately owned homes, and reconstruction assistance for wartime damage is available
"Access to public sector employment for Serb returnees remains a problem, despite 2005 legislation to implement the 2002 Constitutional Law on the Rights of National Minorities, which requires proportionate Serb employment in national and local government and the courts," HRW said, stressing that the upsurge of violence against Serbs that began in 2005 continued in 2006.
The organisation noted that following an attack on a Serb returnee property in July in Biljani Donji, a village in the Zadar area, senior government officials publicly condemned the attack, including President Stjepan Mesic, adding that the alleged perpetrators were immediately apprehended and charged by police.
The section of the report reflecting on war crimes states that with the December 2005 transfer to the Hague of Gen. Ante Gotovina, Croatia"s obligations toward the court in 2006 consisted largely of ensuring the proper trial of the first case referred to it by the ICTY - that of Gens. Mirko Norac and Rahim Ademi, indicted for war crimes committed against Serbs in the Medak Pocket.
"The opening in May 2006 of proceedings against Branimir Glavas was a significant development towards accountability for war time abuses against Serbs," the 2007 report said. Glavas, a prominent Croatian politician, is accused of ordering killings and beatings of Serb civilians in the town of Osijek during the war.
HRW, however, notes that wartime deaths of Serbs still awaited investigation in other towns, including Paulin Dvor and Sisak.
Human rights groups continue to be viewed with suspicion, but remain largely free to operate, the report said, adding that the reduction in funding from international donors increased the importance of national funding sources.
"The European Union continued during 2006 to emphasise the fulfilment of political criteria-including the protection of minorities - as a prerequisite for Croatia"s progress towards EU membership," HRW said.
"The OSCE mission to Croatia remains the strongest international voice calling for fair treatment of Serbs in Croatia. It actively engages with the government on policy in this area, but is more inclined to dialogue than pressure,", the organisation said, adding however, that the OSCE's most recent report indicated that the mission is drawing to a close, which increases the importance of continued EU focus on those issues.