Bosnia prosecutors deny sending Zagreb indictments against Croatian generals

Prosecutors from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) announced on Friday that this year, they have not forwarded any war crimes cases to Croatia involving indictments that have been filed or confirmed.

At a ceremony marking Croatian Armed Forces Day on Wednesday, Croatian President Zoran Milanovic spoke about indictments from BiH against Croatian wartime military commanders, describing them as a political misuse that must stop.

Media reports have stated that the former Defence Minister and former Deputy Chief of the General Staff, retired Major General Damir Krsticevic, the recently deceased General Mate Lausic, and Bosnian Croat HVO generals Mijo Jelic, Stanko Sopta, and Tihomir Blaskic are named in the indictments.

Retired General Ljubo Cesic told reporters that four new indictments arrived on 2 May.

"We can confirm that in 2025, no cases with filed or confirmed indictments have been sent from the BiH Prosecutor’s Office to the Croatian judiciary," BiH prosecutors told Hina.

Croatian Minister of Justice Damir Habijan also denied on Thursday that indictments have been brought against Krsticevic, Sopta and Blaskic, clarifying that these are requests for international legal assistance in ongoing proceedings dating back to 2009.

He added that, as with previous cases, the documentation will be thoroughly analysed before making decisions that will take into account the protection of Croatia's sovereignty, the dignity of the Homeland War and "those who have given the most."

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday that Croatia is a serious country that protects its national interests and military personnel.

"We respond to every situation as we have done for the past nine years. Communication with all interested parties is open and ongoing, and we will continue to act as we have done so far," Plenkovic told reporters.