ZAGREB, Feb 17 (Hina) - The Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights (HHO) considers draft regulations on compensation for property damaged in terrorist acts, i.e. houses located outside formerly war-affected areas, unacceptable
and unconstitutional.
ZAGREB, Feb 17 (Hina) - The Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human
Rights (HHO) considers draft regulations on compensation for
property damaged in terrorist acts, i.e. houses located outside
formerly war-affected areas, unacceptable and unconstitutional.
#L#
Participants in Monday's round table discussion, organised by the
HHO, supported HHO member Tatjana Burjacenko Grubisa's stand about
the unacceptability of new regulations which do not envisage the
resumption of trials for the payment of damages for mined houses
that were discontinued in 1996 after Article 180 of the Law on
Binding Relations was revoked.
The HHO does not accept Assistance Justice Minister Vanja Bilic's
explanation that the new regulations will allow the continuation of
trials with plaintiffs claiming damages due to death, wounding or
damage to one's health caused by terrorist acts, while damages for
damaged property will be covered in the process of reconstruction.
Bilic's claim that no state pays war damages to its citizens and
that no European country compensates for property damage caused by
terrorist acts met with loud disapproval of lawyers,
representatives of non-government associations and concerned
citizens attending the event.
"Paying compensation for mined houses is a moral obligation of the
Croatian society and state because the mining of houses, followed
by the revocation of regulations envisaging compensation, is part
of the former authorities' genocidal policy towards Croatian
citizens of Serb origin," lawyer Slobodan Budak said.
Budak believes that the fact that compensation claims required
large funds should not be an obstacle to recognising damage.
Milorad Pupovac, head of the Serb People's Council, believes that
the incumbent authorities lack the strength to admit that Serb
citizens suffered damage in terrorist attacks which happened
during the war outside war-affected areas.
A representative of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation
in Europe (OSCE), Mary Wycroff, believes including the owners of
mined houses into the reconstruction programme is not enough
because reconstruction will only apply to their homes, and not to
business facilities and holiday houses.
Wycroff believes that also contentious is the fact that only
Croatian citizens have the right to reconstruction and says that
the deadline for the submission of reconstruction claims has
already expired.
Lawyer Anto Nobilo believes the adoption of the said regulations
after the change of the authorities on January 3, 2000 "is an act of
continuing Tudjman's policy of reducing the number of Serbs in
Croatia".
Nobilo said that if the proposed regulations were adopted, he would
challenge them before the Constitutional Court and the European
Court for Human Rights in Brussels.
HHO president Zarko Puhovski believes the authorities were doing
too little and acting too late to right the wrong done by revoking
Article 180 of the Law on Binding Relations under which the state
compensated property damage caused by terrorist attacks.
(hina) rml sb