Croatia drops case against former Croatian Defence Council general accused of war crimes in BiH

In a statement published Thursday on its official website, the office announced that the investigation, launched on suspicion of crimes against humanity and violations of international law—specifically war crimes against civilians and prisoners of war—was halted on July 17 due to “insufficient evidence.”

While prosecutors did not disclose the individual’s identity, Jutarnji list cited unofficial sources indicating that the case pertains to General Jelic, a former wartime commander of the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) and one of the key military figures in the defense of Mostar.

The Bosnian State Prosecutor’s Office handed over Jelic’s case to Croatian authorities in October 2020 after he relocated from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Croatia, where he became unreachable to Bosnian law enforcement. Nearly five years later, Croatia has decided not to pursue the case further.

Jelic had previously been indicted in 2015 by the Bosnian Prosecution Office in what was one of the most comprehensive war crimes indictments involving crimes against Bosniak civilians and prisoners of war during the 1990s conflict. Despite these allegations, he was decorated by Croatian President Zoran Milanovic in 2020 on the 25th anniversary of Operation Storm for the HVO’s contribution to the campaign.

Now residing in Zagreb, Jelic will remain a free man in Croatia, despite never facing trial for the charges filed in Bosnia and Herzegovina. His case continues to highlight the unresolved legacy of war crimes prosecutions in the region and the jurisdictional limits of regional justice cooperation.