The head of the UGOR-CROBIH Assembly, Sinan Hujdur, dismissed as false claims by Croatian Justice Minister Vesna Skare Ozbolt that human rights in Croatia are fully respected.
"Croatia is directly violating the basic human rights of Bosnian citizens who until 1992 had worked hard to build Croatia and were then sacked by their companies," Hujdur said, accusing the Croatian authorities of discrimination.
He went on to say that some 3,000 lawsuits filed by Bosnian citizens requesting to return to work or be granted rights arising from their former employment in Croatia were shelved by courts in Croatia and that in some cases it took 15 years for court proceedings to start.
Some 6,000 members of the association claim that they were unable to realise their rights granted by law or obtain pension allowances even though they had received certificates to that effect.
The association has contacted the Human Rights Watch with regard to these problems, secretary-general Zijad Rizvanovic said, adding that the association would stage protest rallies in the Bosnian capital in a month's time if the Bosnian authorities failed to help it solve the problem.