ZAGREB, Nov 13 (Hina) - Amnesty International on Friday issued a +report on the situation in Croatia stressing that it had received +reports on cases of torture and maltreatment.+ On Friday, Croatia will submit a report to the United
Nations +Committee Against Torture, a body monitoring the fulfilment of +rights guaranteed by a Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, +Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.+ This will be Croatia's second appearance before this Committee +since May 1996, Amnesty International said.+ "One positive change since 1996 is that Croatia this year changed +its laws to make torture and ill-treatment, as defined in the +Convention, a criminal offence," the report said.+ "Furthermore, while normative changes are important, the real test +is how the authorities address individual acts, and in that respect +Amnesty International maintains its concern."+ As an example, Amnes
ZAGREB, Nov 13 (Hina) - Amnesty International on Friday issued a
report on the situation in Croatia stressing that it had received
reports on cases of torture and maltreatment.
On Friday, Croatia will submit a report to the United Nations
Committee Against Torture, a body monitoring the fulfilment of
rights guaranteed by a Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel,
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
This will be Croatia's second appearance before this Committee
since May 1996, Amnesty International said.
"One positive change since 1996 is that Croatia this year changed
its laws to make torture and ill-treatment, as defined in the
Convention, a criminal offence," the report said.
"Furthermore, while normative changes are important, the real test
is how the authorities address individual acts, and in that respect
Amnesty International maintains its concern."
As an example, Amnesty International cited the case of Sefik
Mujkic, who died as the result of torture in September 1995, clearly
visible from photographs taken of his body.
Although found guilty in first-instance proceedings, the two
suspects, two officers of the Service for the Protection of
National Order (SZUP) have been at liberty since the Croatian
Supreme Court sent the base back for retrial in October 1996.
Amnesty International also expressed concern over the fact that
Croatian authorities have not one of the UN Committee's strongest
recommendations from 1996: to establish an independent commission
to rigorously investigate the allegations of torture and ill-
treatment after Croatian military and police operations Flash and
Storm in 1995.
"Acts of torture and ill-treatment were well documented at that
time," Amnesty International said in the report.
The report also stressed that Croatian authorities had been sent
details about all crimes reported to Amnesty International, to
which Croatian authorities either had no reply, or established they
were acts of "uncontrollable individuals".
Amnesty International has been monitoring the "different
approaches by the Croatian authorities when acts of torture or ill-
treatment have been committed, reflecting discrimination in the
degree of vigour with which Croatian authorities are willing to
investigate and bring to justice those believed to be responsible,"
the report said.
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