Human rights organizations Documenta – Center for Dealing with the Past from Zagreb, the Center for Peace, Nonviolence and Human Rights from Osijek, and Human Rights Action from Podgorica have raised concerns over what they describe as misleading remarks by Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman.

In response to a question from “Vijesti” regarding Croatia’s efforts to investigate the suffering of 14 members of the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) at the Split “Lora” camp, Grlić Radman stated that “all events associated with the Lora prison have been addressed and judged, falling under judicial proceedings that do not require further commentary.”

“The minister is mistaken. While it is true that final decisions have confirmed that members of the 72nd Military Police Battalion of the Croatian Army subjected civilians and prisoners of war to humiliation, mental and physical abuse, torture, and corporal punishment—resulting in the deaths of some—the investigation of all crimes committed at Lora remains incomplete. We express our concern regarding the prolonged proceedings concerning the suffering of Montenegrin prisoners of war, despite testimonies confirming that crimes against them occurred,” the statement reads.

“Since 2007, the Split County State Attorney’s Office (ŽDOS) has been probing the suffering of captured military reservists from Montenegro taken during the 1992 Herzegovina battlefield and transferred to the Lora military investigation center in Split. These individuals are part of the so-called Nikšić-Šavnik group, their rights protected by the Geneva Conventions and Croatian laws. As prisoners of war, they were entitled to protection against torture and execution: Radivoje Petković, Neđeljko Janković, Miljan Šušić, Ratko Simović, Duško Barović, Borivoje Zirojević, Dragoman Doknić, Radomir Vulić, Miloš Perunović, Ranko Vujović, Pavle Popović, Dragan Jakovljević, Luka Gazivoda, and Luka Adžić,” it continued.

They emphasized that this case, concerning criminal acts related to international law and war crimes against prisoners of war, has recently begun to progress after years of stagnation, highlighted by a request for international legal assistance from ŽDOS and the questioning of Veselin Bojović.

“The lone surviving Montenegrin prisoner from Lora, who personally endured severe mistreatment at the facility in 1992, witnessed the torture and murder of other Montenegrin prisoners of war. He was only able to provide his testimony in Podgorica this past February after a request from ŽDOS,” the statement notes.

It was indicated that regarding the crimes committed in Lora, which involve the suffering and torture of civilian prisoners from Croatia and both Serbian and Montenegrin prisoners of war, Tomislav Duić, the former commander of the Lora Military Investigation Center, has already faced conviction based on command responsibility.

“This command responsibility principle could also apply to the case of Montenegrin prisoners of war, as numerous testimonies attest to the horrific torture endured by prisoners at Lora. Nevertheless, for reasons unknown, this has not been pursued. We fail to understand the basis of raising legitimate inquiries about prosecuting Lora crimes being perceived as an attempt to ‘equate aggressor and victim,’ as stated by Minister Grlić Radman. The undeniable facts regarding the JNA’s assault on Dubrovnik and the crimes committed have no bearing on the documented torture at Lora. It is imperative that all war crimes be recorded and prosecuted on a case-by-case basis, regardless of who the accuser is or who the victim may be. Upholding the rule of law obliges us all to take this action,” they stated.

They expressed regret that instead of promoting the ongoing prosecution of these crimes, Grlić Radman appears to be attempting to undermine the efforts of the relevant institutions with his comments.

“We urge the minister to, in line with his assertion that it is: ‘the long-standing and unwavering position of the Republic of Croatia to resolve outstanding issues with Montenegro through bilateral dialogue, in the spirit of good neighborliness and in accordance with international law,’ advocate for the prosecution of all war crimes, which includes investigating crimes committed against the so-called Nikšić-Šavnik group and other crimes at Lora that remain unexamined,” concluded the human rights organizations Documenta – Center for Dealing with the Past, the Center for Peace, Nonviolence and Human Rights from Osijek, and Human Rights Action from Podgorica.

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