Croatia fully supports the statement of the EU regarding the arrest of Goran Hadžić, but wishes to make the statement in its national capacity.
The arrest of Goran Hadžić is indeed good news. It is good news for the cause of justice, the whole world and the humanity, but especially good one for the families of thousands of victims of some of the worst war crimes in recent history, committed in Croatia during the aggression by the Serbian regime of Slobodan Milošević and Yugoslav People’s Army, in which Hadžić was only one of the responsible as president of the so called SAO Krajina.
The President of the Republic of Croatia Dr. Ivo Josipović, the Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, many high officials and organizations and associations of the participants of the Homeland war have reacted and made public their views that war crimes committed in Vukovar should be fully investigated during the forthcoming trial of Goran Hadžić, especially in connection with hundreds of person still missing, but also in regard to the responsibility of higher political and military echelons of the JNA which so far have escaped the arm of justice, and for which we regret that they were never indicted before the ICTY under the command responsibility.
We all waited too long for this news. This year we celebrated 20 years of Croatian independence, and commemorated 20 years since occupying Serbian forces entered Vukovar. But nevertheless, it is still good news.
Let us also remind ourselves here that Goran Hadžić has already been sentenced for war crimes in Croatian courts in two separate trials, and indicted in the third one. Hadžić was sentenced for 8 years imprisonment in Osijek in 1999 for encouraging crime, killings, destruction of Catholic Church and non-Serbian houses in Tenja in 1991 and 1992. He was also sentenced for 20 years imprisonment in Šibenik for excessive shelling of Šibenik and Vodice areas, while using weapons that are forbidden by the international conventions. Vukovar State Atorney indicted Hadžić for crimes committed in Vukovar, particularly in Ovčara, and for 1292 persons of non-Serbian nationality killed in Osijek, Vukovar, Vinkovci, Županja and Bjelovar during 1991 and 1992. Croatian Government will examine all legal options to protect the Croatian national interest and those of the victims, bearing in mind the competences of the ICTY.
We welcome the decision by the Government of the Republic of Serbia to finally, with the arrests of Mladić and now Hadžić, fully cooperate with the ICTY. We hope and expect that this cooperation will continue through providing of all necessary documentation and evidences for upcoming trials of Mladić and Hadžić, as well as for the ongoing trials of which some are in the appellate phase. This new direction is very important for Serbia itself, as well as for further improvement of our good neighborly relations