Zagreb, (IKA) – On the occasion of the judgment issued by the International Criminal Tribunal of the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the Hague for crimes committed at Ovčara in Vukovar, the Justice and Peace Commission of the Croatian Conference of Bishops issued a statement today to the Croatian and international public, which is presented here in its entirety:
“The Justice and Peace Commission of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, pursuant to its mission, deems that it is of the utmost importance to comment upon the judgment issued by the court of first instance, i.e. the International Court in The Hague, of the thee defendants accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity at Ovčara in Vukovar. The positions and emotions of the Croatian citizens on the occasion of this judgment, subject to appeal, justifiably express all the disappointment and distrust in the ability of the Court to recognize the truth and satisfy justice and law according to international standards. By this judgment, subject to appeal, the truth has been demonstrated, among other things, of the statement by the delegation of this Commission issued in the year 2005 at the Conference of the European Justice and Peace Commissions in Lisbon: ‘In principle, The Hague Court was established for the crimes perpetrated on the territory of the former Yugoslavia. Furthermore, in principle, in a series of assurances and interpretations by the representatives of the court and their supporters, it has been specified that the court shall be concerned with determining the individual guilt of persons and that national affiliation shall not be a criterion that will affect the court. However, the practice of this court has demonstrated several significant departures from these premises in various directions. These departures are not only important for Croatia and for the countries that were formed following the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia but also for Europe as a whole, because they open several very important and difficult questions that contemporary Europe must address and according to which it must orient itself. Regarding Croatia, Croats became greatly frustrated when they understood that among the European community of nations it is not considered desirable to specify clearly who is the aggressor and who is the victim. Every death is tragic, regardless of nationality, race and sex. Every crime must be punished, regardless of who committed it. War is tragic as such. However, the attempt to create value-neutral judgments, devoid of the context in which something occurred, contributes to the loss of its legitimacy and the possibility for its judgment to influence the establishment of justice and peace in these lands.’ It is precisely this lack of a clear definition of the aggressor and victim, and the unfamiliarity with the context in which crime occurred, with justified suspicions concerning the work of the prosecution and the manipulation of evidence and various pressures on the court, which led to such shameful sentencing. The Justice and Peace Commission joins all citizens, associations and institutions who consider this judgment to represent the trampling and obliteration of justice and righteousness, principles upon which Europe and the world family of nations and countries should be built. The Commission expresses solidarity with all those who are suffering due to this judgment, particularly the relatives of those who perished and were murdered in the heroic defense of Vukovar and the tragic days after its fall. We expect that on the occasion of this shameful judgment that the Croatian public, institutions and media will re-examine their own consciences regarding everything that has been done, and also that which has not been done to establish the facts and determine individual responsibility for the crimes perpetrated in Vukovar and other places in Croatia. We urge all the Catholic faithful and members of other Christian churches and religions to unite in prayer for all the victims of the war in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially in Vukovar. May this prayer be imbued with prayer for justice but also for forgiveness and reconciliation. The Commission urges the responsible Croatian institutions to do everything possible to protect the dignity of the victims, first of all including the truth and justice. On this occasion, we also appeal to the Justice and Peace Commissions of the other bishops’ conferences in Europe and the world as well as the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in the Vatican to raise their voices in protection of the truth and justice and in protection of the victims before the biased and unconscientious institutions of international justice. We also urge the institutions of European integration not to permit the manipulation of human lives, history and remembrance. Otherwise, it will be difficult to achieve reconciliation in this part of Europe,” reads the statement of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, which was signed by the president of the Commission, Auxiliary Bishop Vlado Košić of Zagreb.