On this day ten years ago the military operation Storm was completed. With its completion, Croatia, as an independent country, was near its goal to have control over the entire territory which belonged to Croatia when it was a Yugoslav republic. The operation itself was performed exceptionally quickly and efficiently, and according to all what is today known about the operation, this was achieved also partly thanks to understanding which, with regard to this, was established between the Croatian and Serbian leaders as well as thanks to the support of the international community, reads the statement signed by the HHO head, Zarko Puhovski.
Although it can still be debatable whether the military operation was necessary, from the point of view of human rights the operation can be justified with the fact that it made it possible for many Croatian citizens to have a safe life which would no longer be jeopardised by attacks that had been launched before from "Krajina"; it also enabled tens of thousands of displaced persons to live in places where they wanted and from where they had been forcibly expelled; the operation also enabled the exercise of the right to free movement over road and railways, which had been previously blocked for almost the entire Croatian population and many foreigners.
The operation also toppled the regime (of the self-proclaimed Republic of Serb Krajina) which through its character presented the negation of all rights of citizens whom it ruled over.
At the same time, one should not ignore consequences of the operation which directly deny fundamental human rights, particularly many killings of civilians which were committed with impunity and were systematically covered up.
The public has been informed of enquires which the HHO has carried out and which show undoubtedly that in August in 1995, after the completion of the military offensive, almost 700 civilians were killed on the area which was integrated by the operation. The statement says that the HHO enquires also show that ethnic cleansing was at work at the one fifth of the state territory given that over 150,000 people, who were Croatian citizens until then, left the area thanks to almost synchronised activities of Krajina power-wielders and the Croatian authorities.
At the moments of euphoria these facts must not be forgotten so that the entire nation would not become trapped by its own past, the HHO says in the statement.