Gravest Crimes in Croatia

Hadzic, who was arrested in Serbia after more than seven years on the run, is indicted for having participated in a joint criminal enterprise with the aim of forcibly and permanently removing most Croats and other non-Serbs from part of Croatia’s territory, so that the territory could become a part of a new state under Serb dominance.
 
The Hague Prosecution alleges that the joint criminal enterprise began on June 25, 1991 at the latest and lasted at least until December 1993.
 
The Prosecution alleges that, besides Hadzic, other participants in the joint criminal enterprise included, among others, Slobodan Milosevic, Vojislav Seselj, Zeljko Raznatovic – known as Arkan, and other members of the Yugoslav National Army, JNA, Serbian Territorial Defence, TO, and police forces.
 
Milosevic, former President of Serbia, died in 2006, while his trial before The Hague Tribunal was still underway. Raznatovic was killed prior to being transferred to The Hague Tribunal. He had been charged as leader of the “Arkanovi tigrovi” (“Arkan’s Tigers”) paramilitary group, with crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
 
Vojislav Seselj, President of the Serbian Radical Party, SRS, is on trial before The Hague Tribunal for crimes committed in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia’s northern province of Vojvodina.
 
Former Hague Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte signed the indictment against Hadzic in May 2004.
 
The introductory part of the indictment alleges that, in June 1990 Hadzic was elected President of the Serbian Democratic Party, SDS for Vukovar. One year later Hadzic was appointed President of the Government of the Serbian Autonomous Region of Slavonija, Baranja and West Srem (SAO SBZS).
 
In February 1992 Hadzic was elected President of the Republic of Serbian Krajina, RSK. He performed the function until December 1993.
 
The Prosecution alleges that Hadzic played a significant role in the establishment and functioning of RSK bodies, “which implemented, in collaboration with the Army and police, the aims of the joint criminal enterprise and participated in the commission of crimes”. It further alleges that he participated in the establishment, organisation and management of the local Serbian Territorial Defence forces.
 
The indictment
 
The Hague Prosecution charges Hadzic, under 14 counts, with crimes in Croatia. Under the first count, he is charged with participating in the murder of several hundred Croats and other non-Serb civilians, including women and the elderly, in Dalj, Dalj Planina, Erdut, Erdut Planina, Klis, Lovas, Grabovac and Vukovar, Croatia.
 
“In addition, he is indicted for the deportation or forcible resettlement of tens of thousands of Croat and other non-Serb civilians from the above-mentioned territories, including the deportation of at least 5,000 residents of Ilok and 20,000 residents of Vukovar to Serbia and the forcible resettlement of at least 2,500 residents of Erdut to other places in Croatia,” the indictment reads.
 
According to the charges, Hadzic participated in the detention of several hundred Croats and other non-Serb civilians in detention facilities in Croatia, where detainees were held in “inhumane living conditions”.
 
Under counts two to four, Hadzic is charged with the murder of a large number of non-Serb civilians in the Republic of Serbian Krajina in Croatia.
 
Among other things, the Prosecution considers Hadzic responsible for the murder of 264 Croats and other non-Serbs, who were taken, on November 20, 1991, from the Vukovar hospital to Ovcara farm, where members of the Serb forces, including the JNA, TO and paramilitary formations, beat and tortured them and then killed them in groups using fire arms.
 
The five subsequent counts charge Hadzic with the unlawful detention or holding Croat and other non-Serbs from RSK in inhumane conditions.
 
The indictment alleges that several thousand Croats and other non-Serb civilians were held in detention facilities in Stajicevo, Serbia, the JNA military barracks in Begejac and Zrenjanin, Serbia, and the military prison in Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia.
 
Detention and deportation of non-Serbs
 
The Prosecution considers Hadzic responsible for the detention of about three hundred prisoners in the JNA military prison in Sid, Serbia, police building and hangar in Dalj and the “Velepromet” warehouse in the vicinity of Vukovar, Croatia.
 
“The living conditions in these detention facilities were rough and characterised by inhumane treatment, overcrowding, hunger, forced labour, inadequate medical protection and constant physical and mental abuse, including false executions, torture, beating and sexual abuse,” the indictment alleges.
 
Under counts ten and eleven, Hadzic is charged with having supported the planning, preparation and execution of deportations or forcible relocation of Croat and other non-Serb civilians on the territory of RSK.
 
“In order to achieve their goal, the Serb forces would surround Croat towns and villages and asked the non-Serb residents to hand over their weapons. After that, they would attack the towns and villages, even if the local residents had fulfilled their requests. The aim of the attack was to force the local population to flee. After having taken control over the territories, the Serb forces gathered Croat and non-Serb civilians and forcibly relocated them to the locations controlled by Croatian government bodies or deported them outside of Croatia,” the Hague Prosecution alleges.
 
The two last counts allege that Hadzic is charged with having participated in the wanton destruction and pillaging of public and private property, including residential, religious and cultural buildings, in the following Croatian towns and villages: Dalj, Dalj Planina, Celije, Vukovar, Erdut, Erdut Planina, Aljmas, Lovas, Sarengrad, Bapska and Tovarnik.

D.Dz.