Osijek-based NGO presents report on war crimes trials in CroatiaOSIJEK, Jan 16 (Hina) - The Croatian judiciary has made progress inadjusting its work to the statute of the Hague war crimes tribunal,strengthening legal and
institutional conditions for witnessprotection, and promoting cooperation with the relevant authorities ofSerbia and Montenegro, the head of the Osijek-based Centre for Peace,Non-Violence and Human Rights, Katarina Kruhonja, said on Monday.
OSIJEK, Jan 16 (Hina) - The Croatian judiciary has made progress
in adjusting its work to the statute of the Hague war crimes tribunal,
strengthening legal and institutional conditions for witness protection, and
promoting cooperation with the relevant authorities of Serbia and Montenegro,
the head of the Osijek-based Centre for Peace, Non-Violence and Human Rights,
Katarina Kruhonja, said on Monday. Presenting a 50-page report on
the monitoring of 13 out of the 16 war crimes trials that took place before
Croatian courts last year, Kruhonja cited bias and trials in absentia as major
problems that need to be overcome in order for the courts to improve their
work.
There are a large number of re-trials, where the Supreme Court quashed
verdicts by trial courts, and members of the armed forces and the police are
mainly indicted for murder and not for other war crimes, according to the
report.
The Centre decided to monitor the war crimes trials because it sees
fair and professional trials as one of the key instruments in achieving justice
in post-war society and promoting the rule of law. The purpose of the
monitoring process was to assist in building trust in local courts, Kruhonja
said.