HHO DISSATISFIED WITH BILLS ON INDEMNITY FROM TERRORISM

ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina) - The Croatian Helsinki Committee for human rights (HHO) and several non-governmental organisations believe moved bills on the compensation for damage caused by terrorism acts and Croatian army and police operations in the Homeland War are unacceptable and contrary to the Constitution. #L# The HHO and nine NGOs are dissatisfied with three bills -- on responsibility for damage from terrorist acts and public demonstrations, on responsibility of the state for damage caused by members of armed and police forces in the Homeland War and for damage which occurred in the former Yugoslavia for which the ex- Yugoslavia was responsible. They believe these bills, which have been forwarded into parliamentary procedure, are unacceptable because they stipulate that damage which occurred before the adoption of amendments to the Law on Mandatory Relations in 1996 and 1999 will be resolved under the provisions of the new laws. Since the alterations of Law on Mandatory Relations, citizens whose property was destroyed could not seek compensation and the ongoing proceedings were aborted. NGOs request that all citizens who suffered damage for which the state was responsible under the Law on Mandatory Relations, be enabled to initiate and complete proceedings under provisions valid at the time. They believe that a retroactive application of new regulations would be contrary to the Constitution and European convention. They also label as especially discriminatory an article of the bill on responsibility for damage caused by terrorist acts and public demonstrations, according to which Serb refugees who did not obtain Croatian citizenship will not be able to get compensation. The organisations thus ask that all cases in which damage has occurred and for which the state was responsible under the Law on Mandatory Relations, have to be completed and carried out under the law's provisions which were in effect when the damage occurred. If the bills are adopted, the HHO and nine non-governmental organisations warn, that citizens who suffered damage will probably seek and get justice at the Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. (hina) lml sb