European Forum

Serbia files genocide lawsuit against Croatia

On 4 January Serbia will be filling its genocide countersuit against Croatia before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The suit will be submitted by Serbia’s legal representative Saša Obradović. The document will include information on crimes committed against Croatia's ethnic Serb population in Gospić, Sisak, Pakračka Poljana, Karlovac, Osijek, Paulin Dvor, Medački Džep (Medak Pocket), and during the so-called Operation Storm.

The court will be given information on victims, and not only those that were killed in conflicts between 1991-1995, but also those murdered after the war as they tried to return to their homes they left as refugees. The lawsuit against Croatia contains a historical account of Serbo-Croatian relations, with a focus on World War II. In this context, the massive killing of Serbs in the Jasenovac concentration camp will also be mentioned.

Croatia filed genocide charges against Serbia to the ICJ in The Hague immediately after the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, calling for the Belgrade to punish all perpetrators of war crimes and to return cultural property to Croatia and pay for war damages as well, in an amount to be confirmed by the court.

Source: B92, BIRN and Volkskrant