Remembering Vukovar, the first gross crime against humanity

The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia sent a press release on November 17 in order to remind the public that "around this time, precisely November 20, fifteen years ago the former Yugoslav Peoples Army with ample assistance of territorials recruited solely by ethnic criteria and criminal para-military troops "liberated" Vukovar through systematic destruction, plunder, ethnic cleansing, killing of civilians hidden in basements of their houses and setting up infamous concentration camps such as Ovčara."

Namely, on that day approximatelly 270 Croatians and other non-Serbs from Vukovar were killed and buried in a mass grave near the small farm community of Ovčara. But even 15 years after the atrocity took place, journalists are stil wondering who knows "the truth about the Ovcara case"?



Regretfully, writes the HCHRS, "not even 15 years after the first gross crime against humanity in the territory of ex-Yugoslavia the executioners of which in the command chain presently stand trial before the tribunal in The Hague there are no hints that Serbias institutions will be seriously reconsidering, in foreseeable future, the ideological background and the sum and substance of the aggression against the territory that should have been by definition defended from outside enemy only. Unless she clearly distances herself from the project giving birth to Vukovar crime and other serious crimes committed in 1991-99 wars, as well as from the ideas its originators and protagonists still spread, Serbia will be running into stumbling blocks in the way of full normalization of relations with Croatia and other countries in the region. Unfortunately, the same stumbling block will be standing in the way of her full democratization and transformation into a modern, European state."

Another Serbian well known HR activist Natasa Kandic, the head of the Humanitarian Law Center, pursues even more determined fight for the truth in all of the wars Sebia fought against its neighbours. For her contribution in this war for the truth, she has been awarded a prize by Croatian President Mesic and was voted into the TIME magazine list of 60 most prominent individuals, more precselly heroes of our time!

Probably to make parallels in such cases is not very wise, but on those days of Vukovar’s population greatest suffering, I must wonder why Croatian civil society organizations (Croatian Helsinki Committee, which is the HCHRS counterpart in Croatia for example) is not sending a plea for the truth establishment on whereabouts of approximately 500 civilians that disappeared upon the occupation of the city. I have to wonder why associations in Croatia must be labeled as nationalistic and rightist if they warn on the human rights atrocities that were taking place against civilian population in Vukovar in 1991. Is it possible that those that are ‘not nationalistic’ are simply not interested in casualties of war? Are we bound to forget or we are simply not interested to bring all of the prosecutors of the crimes against humanity into the light of justice and burry properly those that died because of the occupation?