OSCE, UNHCR CONCERNED BY APPEARANCE OF LISTS WITH NAMES OF SERBS WHO PARTICIPATED IN WAR

ZAGREB, June 23 (Hina) - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Mission of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on Friday condemned the recent appearance of lists with the names of Croatian Serbs who participated in the armed rebellion in Croatia, and stated they believed the intention of the anonymous author of those placards was to discourage the return of Serb refugees. In a joint statement, issued on Friday, the two organisations expressed their concern "about the recent appearance of unsigned lists of persons of Serb ethnicity, which presume collective responsibility of those participating in armed formations during the 1991-1995 conflict, in the towns of Karlovac, Petrinja and Sisak. The OSCE and the UNHCR condemn such actions, which are obviously aimed at discouraging return when the Government of Croatia, local authorities and the international community are making great efforts to facilitate voluntary return of refugees and displaced persons, both Croats and Serbs, to their homes. "The OSCE and the UNHCR recall that Croatia has had an Amnesty Law in force since 1996, which grants amnesty to all those who participated in military formations during the war but were not accused of war crimes. The international community supports individual prosecution of war criminals but is against any act implying collective guilt for any group of people. Allegations of this kind should go through the regular investigative and judicial process," the statement said. (hina) jn rml