Under the proposal, civilian victims who could not exercise their rights under the present law would do so under the new law. The law would also cover civilians injured in mine explosions or the use of firearms during the period between 17 August 1990 and 30 June 1996. Civilian victims would be allowed to claim entitlements for family members listed as missing from the war even before they are declared dead. The bill also provides for measures to improve the social and economic status of civilian victims. These rights can be exercised both by citizens of Croatia and by foreign nationals, provided that at the time of the incident, they were residents in Croatia. After the debate, the bill was sent for a second reading.
Commenting on the debate, Milaković said that it showed “an uncivilized attitude of right-wing parties towards Serb victims in Croatia.” “No one in the Serb community denies the crimes committed at Ovčara. On the other hand, the deputy mayor of Vukovar and MP, Marijan Pavliček, and many others are unable to accept the killing of Serb civilians by Croatian forces in Vukovar in 1991,” he added.
“The experience of the families of Serb civilians killed – including their personal tragedy and pain over the loss of their loved ones and the denial, ignoring, and justification of their killing by the Croatian public and state institutions – cannot be compensated for by any law or entitlement.
“They could not get compensation because final court rulings did not establish the commission of the crimes in which their dearest ones were killed, and judicial authorities never initiated proceedings for those killings. So not even in death are innocent Croats and Serbs equal,” Milaković wrote.
He concluded by saying that it remains to be seen whether the new law would “remove the present injustices” in practice.
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