WASHINGTON, Dec 10 (Hina) - The election held in Croatia early this year was a turning point in the country's respect for human rights, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says in its annual report, issued on the occasion of the international
Human Rights Day, December 10.
WASHINGTON, Dec 10 (Hina) - The election held in Croatia early this
year was a turning point in the country's respect for human rights,
Human Rights Watch (HRW) says in its annual report, issued on the
occasion of the international Human Rights Day, December 10. #L#
A relatively short part of the report, dedicated to the situation in
Croatia, reads that the new Croatian government quickly
demonstrated its commitment to the protection of human rights and
fulfilment of international obligations. This assessment is
supported by Croatia's recognition of the jurisdiction of the Hague
war crimes tribunal (ICTY) over its 1995 Operation Storm and an
invitation by President Stjepan Mesic for Serb refugees to return.
According to the report, pre-electoral and subsequent promises
were followed by concrete measures, particularly as regards
documents on Flash and Storm Operations, the hand-over of Mladen
Naletilic 'Tuta' to The Hague, permits to Hague investigators to
visit the site in Gospic where an alleged massacre of Serb civilians
took place in 1991, as well as the arrest of persons suspected of
killing ICTY witness Milan Levar.
The New York-based humanitarian organisation gives credit to the
Croatian parliament for launching reforms in the legislation,
reducing police powers, adopting a new law on minority languages
and for positive changes to the Constitutional law on human and
minority rights.
The report also quotes UNHCR data on a significant increase in the
number of return requests of Croatian Serb refugees. It also warns
that, despite the efforts of the new government, there have been
cases of discrimination and several cases of murder of Serb
returnees.
The report also addresses the status of the Roma community in
Croatia, stressing that many of the 30,000-40,000 Roma lack access
to education and employment, have difficulty obtaining state
assistance and citizenship, and in some cases are exposed to racist
attacks.
(hina) rml