Association of Victims and Witnesses of Genocide: Croatia confirmed it is a safe haven for war criminals

According to the Association, the State Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Croatia announced on July 17 that it had decided to drop the investigation against Zlatan Mijo Jelić, who was reasonably suspected of committing crimes against humanity and violations of international law in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina filed an indictment against Zlatan Mijo Jelic in 2015 on the basis of command responsibility, although Croatia has since halted its investigation of Jelic—who was even decorated by the President of Croatia, Zoran Milanovic. We demand that the Prosecutor’s Office and the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina issue a warrant for Jelic based on the 2015 indictment and request that EU institutions, based on the Law on Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters with EU Member States—which obliges the Republic of Croatia—seek the extradition of Zlatan Mijo Jelic to the judicial authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina," the Association stated.

The Republic of Croatia, they emphasized, continues to block and obstruct regional cooperation that has been ongoing for at least ten years, as documented in dozens of reports from the ICTY/IRMCT in The Hague submitted to the UN Security Council.

"With this decision, the findings of the ICTY regarding Jelic’s responsibility are being directly obstructed, and the Republic of Croatia has once again confirmed that it is a safe haven for individuals suspected of war crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina," the Association of Victims and Witnesses of Genocide concluded.