COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS WRITES TO TUDJMAN

Zagreb Jan 23, 1994

According to the information from various Croatian sources, the mobilization of Croatian citizens born in Bosnia and Herzegovina is underway. All those who have been mobilized, and of which there are 2000 only in one barracks, are afraid that they will be sent to fight in B&H. The Civil Committee for Human Rights forwarded a letter to President Tudjman in which it asks of him to verify these facts.

AIM, ZAGREB, December 21, 1993

Not long back, in a programme broadcasted on Croatian television on the war that is being waged in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mate Boban, the Herzegovinian leader defending himself from the accusations of the opposition that his military formations, the Croatian Defence Council (HVO), lost the battles on almost all B&H battlefields with the exception of Western Herzegovina in respect to which there were no political pretensions on the part of any national leaders, said: "But gentlemen, the war is far from over!" The unequivocal character of his statement that fierce warfare is more than certainly to continue in Bosnia and Herzegovina was later also confirmed by the minister of defence of the Republic of Croatia, Gojko Susak, who did not hesitate to say that the Croatian Army will intevene in B&H in order to protect the Croatian people and Croatian interests. After all, for quite some time now, none of the Croatian leaders have used, in attempts to prove their personal innocence, the worn out platitude " that Croatia was after all the first to recognize the sovereign Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina." Instead the bugbear of mobilizatiron is circulating throughout Croatia.

The Civil Committee for Human Rights addressed a letter to the President of the Republic, Dr. Franjo Tudjman, the contents of which is as follows:

"Dear Mr. President. On December 17, 1993, we informed the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Croatia that family members ( in the first place wives) of Croatian nationals born in B&H who have been mobilized on 15-16, December have appealed to us form help. Their stories come from various sources but they are congruous in the following:

  • the Bosnian origin of those mobilized was the decisive factor;

  • the officers in the barracks tried to convince the nationals of the Republic of Croatia that they are citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina although they have certificates that they are Croatian nationals;

  • all the mobilized citizens of the Republic of Croatia whose wives contacted us, as well as all the mobilized persons with whom we spoke are citizens of the Republic of Croatia born in B&H

  • there are approximately 2000 mobilized persons in the barracks "Croatia";

  • we told all the wives that appealed to us that the highest political officials of the Republic of Croatia have repeatedly and responsibly claimed before the domestic and foreign public that the Republic of Croatia is not sending its army to fight in a neighbouring state recognized by Croatia;

We kindly wish to ask of your, Mr. President, to verify these claims and to inform us of what is actually at stake. Considering the concern of the citizens that have contacted us, we would appreciate as expedient as possible reply."

The letter signed by Zoran Pusic, the president of the Civil Committee for Human Rights, forwarded on December 18, 1993 still awaits a reply.

DRAZENA PERANIC