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I

DEMOCRATIC LEAGUE OF TIE IN

DOCUMENTS

January 1994

Address: Democratic League of the Croats in Vojvodina Trg Lazara Nesica 1/X 24000

Tel/fax: (381) 24 51 348 39 459 a

CONTENTS

I. MAPS OF THE EX FORMER SOCIALIST FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA

II. INTRODUCTION

III. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

IV. POPULATION

V. CULTURAL AND SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS

VI. HISTORICAL EVENTS

VII. THE CROATS IN VOJVODINA

VIII. JURIDICAL SITUATION OF CROATS IN VOJVODINA

IX. VIOLATION OF HUMAN CIVIL AND COLLECTIVE RIGHTS EX SFR Yugoslavia

~F_. .

ROMANIA

Belgrade CROATS IN BACKA, SRIJEM AND (VOJVODINA)

POSITION OF CROATS IN VOJVODINA REGARDING THEIR CULTURAL, POLITICAL, AND OTHER FUNDAMENTAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Introduction

As a result of the Croats in Vojvodina being deprived of their rights and the assimilatory policies which have calculatedly been implemented for over 70 years, the Croatian population has constantly been in decline.

The war against and the destruction the war has caused directly reflect upon the status of Croats in Vojvodina. All too often they are insulted and taunted. They are attacked through public media, the Croatian media are blocked, they are mistreated by Serbian government authorities and rendered powerless in all areas of public life. Croatian cultural and historic monuments are being destroyed (Baa, Subotica, among others), and Croatian homes in have been blasted by machine gun fire, besides a whole line of similar occurrences. With that kind of politics, , especially after the cessation of the constitutional autonomy of Vojvodina, would like to destroy the will of the Croats to live in the areas of Barka, Banat, and Srijem, where Croats had already been living for thirteen hundred years.

Background Information

Vojvodina is name of the region consisting of three where Croats live: Barka, Srijem and Banat. Todays name was officially accepted after 1945, with the obvious intention to add the adjective Serbian, as a tribute to the mid-14th century name. For the Croatian population, the Barka area is especially important as. their number there is the greatest.

Ba~ka, as a part of Vojvodina, is the southern part of Panonian lowlands between the and the Tisa rivers. During the time of the migration of peoples, it was a cross-roads. in establish -their new settlements. Excavations around Ba~, Somnbor and Subotica proved that the Slays situated there were christened,

...... bishopric in Ba .Slavic forefathers saved their settlements, terminology, and emblems.

The indigenous population in Bad was Croatian even earlier, but especially after the Battle of Mohad in 1526. Unfortunately, they were not always known by their proper name but by groups such as and iokci. It is historically accurate that the Croats from Dalmatia and Bosnia already settled in Barka during the time of King Zigmund (14th century) and Matija Korvin (mid-15th century). There are records of settlements from Bosnia in 1437, from Dalmatia (Pozrmanja) about 1620, the most notable in 1686. Most of the settlements were centred in Bad, , Baja, Subotica and Szeged.

Historically, Srijem is a Croatian region that stretches all the way to (a suburb of ). Historians are familiar with the Srijem diocese, which as such entered the new state in 1918. Regardless, in the regional reorganisation of the former kingdom into regions called "Banovina", one part was included in the , the other in the Banovina. With the changing of the borders that followed in 1945, Croatia lost part of Srijem. Thus the eastern part of Srijem was ceded to Vojvodina, and the western par to Croatia. In the part of Srijem, in Vojvodina, there are Croats in most areas. According to data from 1981 there were about 10,000 Croats in , about 3,500 in , about 3,300 in Novi Slankamen, in about 2,500,in about 2,300, in Bedka about 2,100, in about 1,800, in about 1,700, in about 1,600, and in other areas such as , , Morovim, , Sot , Beodin, Indjija, , , Platidevo, and Surdin Hrvata, Croats number less than 1,000.

Banat is the area in which the fewest Croats live; they comprise abut 1% of the population. Intermixed with the other inhabitants they live in the larger settlements in that area, primarily in Stardevo, , , , and Boka, which is located in the settlements around and .

SIZE OF THE CROATIAN POPULATION

According to the first post-war census in Vojvodina there lived 132,893 Croats; 127,027 in 1956; 145,341 in 1961; 138,561 in 1971; 109,203 in 1981, but according to the 1991 census there were only 74,232 Croats, and those that declared themselves as Bunjevci (21,552) and [okci (1,866), altogether 97,650. As the size of the Croatian population changed, the data showed Subotica as the most significant centre of Croatian population. In 1918 Subotica had 101,000 inhabitants, of those 72,000 Croats, 5,000 , 20,000 , and other ethnic groups. In 1927 data was made public, according to which, Subotica

r:

_., .,. .

v. changed: 42,792 Croatians, 10,520 Serbs, 30,860 Hungarians. The reason for the decline in the Croatian population in unknown. The 1948 census gives the following information: 48,362 Croats in Subotica, 39,1% of the population whereas in 1934 the figure was 43,5%.

In 1953 Subotica had 46,574 Croats which is 36,8%. The 1961 census showed 46,330 Croats in Subotica. The 1971 census showed 46,330 Croats in Subotica. The 1981 showed 32,589 Croats in Subotica and 8,895 Bunjevci, who were accounted as "Others" in Serbian statistics. In the 1991 census there were 16,282 Croats, and 17,527 declared themselves as Bunjevci, all together 33,809. In Serbia including Vojvodina, there were the following numbers of Croats: 196,499 in 1961; 184,913 in 1971; 149,368.in 1981.

This data leads one to think, not only about the time when they were collected, but also about today. A lesson for all! In only ten years the number of Croats in Vojvodina dropped almost 40,000, and in Subotica 13,644. All the censuses show a constant decline in the number of Croats as well as a percentage decline of their representation in the population.

CROATIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS AND SOCIETIES

From the mid-1960 s, the Croats in Vojvodina have had neither schools nor cultural institutions nor organisations.

Croats in Vojvodina do not have a single Croatian school and in school they do not learn their native language, their literature, their history, and they are not represented on television or the radio nor do they have their own newspapers. They must endure an antiCroatian media war, implemented by leading politicians and actively supported by state authorities, the Serbia Orthodox Church and Great-Serbia-oriented organisations and their factions. They do not have their own printing house and do not have a single cultural institution.

According to information, in BaZka there were 43 Bunjeva~ko- [okayka publications. Today, if you exclude "Badko Klasje" (trans. "Wheat Shoots of Barka") issued- by the Roman Catholic Church (since 1971) and "Glas Ravnice" which, as you can tell from its name (trans."Voice of the Plains"), is issued by the Democratic Union of Croats of Vojodina (since 1990), there are none. "Hrvatska Rijed" (trans. "Croatian Word") changed its name overnight to "Subotioke Novine" (trans. "Subotica News") and Hrvatsko Narodno Kazali .te (trans .Croatian National Theatre) to "Narodno pozori ste" (translated from Serbian: Peoples Theatre) . Other cultural institutions have also been discontinued. -- OVERVIEW OF HISTORICAL EVENTS

535. Caesar Justinijan mentions the bishopric in Bad. Surely the diocese was already arranged. The bishopric in Srijem/ was founded in the time St. Andronik, a student of apostles primates.

873. The Salzburg Annual mentions BaJ, as a fortress, in the time of migration and movement of the peoples in .

1092. Ladislav I restores the archbishopric in Bad, which was united with the Kalo~ka archbishopric (canonicae unita) in the mid-12th century for economic and political reasons.

1169. The first mention'of the Templar monastery in Bad; todays bell tower is from the same year.

1183. The first mention of Baja town (Francavilla, Waja, Baja, Baya). Originally it was a fortress, a defence fortification against Tatars. There were Croatia settlements around the town: AljmaE, Bikim, ::atalja, ..'avolj, Du nok, Jankovac, Gara, Ka 'mar etc.

1234. The hospital in Bad entrusted to Cistercites. At the end of the 13th century, the Franciscans took over the Templar monastery and the church in Bad. Apparently, it was a present from King Karl Robert.

1241. Tatar soliders were staying in the area of Sombor during the winter. Sombor was mentioned in written documents in 1256 and then again in 1332. There were Croatian settlements around Sombor: Conoplja and LemeS On March 21, 1747, Sombor became a free town. Bosnian Franciscans were running the diocese until November 1, 1784.

1366. Ludovic I (the Great, Nagy Lajos) asked the Bosnian Franciscans to send missionaries to southern Hungary, surely not for people who were not Croats.

1370. Queen Elizabeth restored the Franciscan monastery and the church in Bad. Franciscans were running the dioceses in Bukin, , Bodjani and Sonta.

1391. Most probably, the first written mention of Subotica. The town was developing fast, so that in 1743 it became a privileged commercial town, and on January 22, 1799, it became a free town known as Maria Theresiopolis. There were Croatian settlements around Subotica: , Djurdjin, Kelebija, LudoG,, debesic, Tavankut, Pavlovac, Verufim, Zednik. It was written in the Declaration of Privileges that Serbs (Graeci non uniti) are forbidden to settle within the walls. 1400 . Franciscan custodiae Syrmiens was founded. This indicates the number of Croatian Franciscans and their comniunities. The Croatian Franciscans taught the to the Croatian population. 1456. Meeting of crusaders in Bad. Present was St. Ivan Kapistran, the hero of the battle near Belgrade.

1514. Uprising led by Juraj Doyse, in which, 3,000 peasants from Bad participated.

1520. The priest of the diocese, Grgur Frankopan, died. Circumstances were getting difficult because the Turks were closer.

1526. The battle of Mohad(August 29) in which Captain Juraj Pali'na of Bad fell. It was the battle which determined the history of the Croats of the region of Podunavlje..Since 1529 Bad was the center of the ,Turkish Nahija (center of the Turkish regional government). The other Croatian settlements were also governed by the Turks: Sombor, Baja, Subotica etc. Under the Turkish rule the Croatian population did not move out of the region of Podunavlje.

1686. The immigration of Croatian mokci and Bunjevci into the area between the Danube and the Tisa rivers, under the leadership of the Francescans, brought about an increase in the local population. Several years later (circa 1726) the immigration of a larger Serbian group, led by Arsenije Crnojevim, was recorded.

1687. A new recording (October 1) of christened families who lived in Subotica began. Father Baria BenjoviN was the first priest to record names of children in the Birth Registry Book. The Book remains to this date.

1702. Military (Vojna) Krajina was organized and Croatian border guards distinguished themselves. Vojna Krajina was dissolved in 1741.

1727. Nikola Pejadevi , baron and administrator of the Duchy of Srijem, was buried in the church in Bad. In the regions of Bad, Banat and Srijem life in general was rejuvenated, especially culture and education (institutions of higher learning in Budim, Baa, Baja and Sombor).

1776-1781 The diocese of Backa was taken away from the Franciscans. There are differing accounts but it turned out to be a loss for the religious Croats.

1848. An unstable year, the consequence of which was the creation of Austro-Serbian Duchy. It included Ba~ka, the diocese of Torontal and the Tami{ Banovina and later the areas of and . Because "it did not satisfy anybody" the Duchy as well as the Banat of Tami{ were dissolved (December 29, 1860) . 1870 . Beginpning of the renaissance of Croatian Rokci and Bunjevci led by A. IardeviI, who was helped by B. Modro~im, K. Milodanovil etc. 1878. Founding of Pudka Kasina, an important institution of renaissance, after which numerous public libraries (Baja, Gara, Kalmar, Subotica etc.) and Croatian societies were established. But during this period Hungarians were ardent about "closing down Croatian schools. Pavao Kujundfim distinguished himself in the struggle for our own schools. In 1913 he established Prva ikolska zadruga (public school) in Subotica.

1914-1918. World War I, following which the Austro-Hungarian Empire came to an end.

1918. In October and November there were large gatherings of people. The leader of all ethnic movements was Blako Rajig along with Josip Proie, Blake Ordi}W, Ilija Kujundfim, Andrija Mazim etc. The Serbian Army entered Barka. There were 2,000 Serbs in Subotica but over 70,09-0,GCroats.

1920-1925. Croats in Barka, Banat and Srijem were exposed to the violence of the "victorious" Serbian government and the Hungarian Irredenta. Under the guise of "agrarian reform", the land, which was mostly owned by Croats, was colonized by "volunteers", new Serbian immigrants. They oranized their settlements mostly among the local Croatian population. For example, between Lemel and Bajmok, and Zednik etc. Some of the names they gave to their settlements were Aleksa .anti,, Kodicevo and Miliwevo. Blinded as they were they even renamed some of the Croatian villages (for example Leme{ to Svetozar Mileti}).

1925. The one-thousand year anniversary of the Kingdom of Croatia - was celebrated in podunavlje.

1929. Barka, Srijem and Banat in the Duchy of Danube were governed ("under the Serbian boot") by Serbia.

1933. Founding of Matica subotidka and many other institutions and publishing houses.

1936. The 250 year anniversary of the arrival into Barka of one of the many groups of Croats. Establishment of the Croatian societies in Sombor, Subotica and all the other Croatian settlements.

1941. World War II in the former state.

1945. Vojvodina was founded and included the regions of Barka, Srijem and Banat. As a part of the Republic of Serbia it was given the regional autonomy but only as a constituent part of the Federation (the former SFRJ). 1989. Vojvodina lost its autonomy, particularly that which was based on the Constitution of 1974, and was joined to Serbia.

1991/1992. Several thousands Croats fled Vojvodina, most of them from Srijem (Novi Slankamen, Kukujevci, Beika, lid, Ruma, Indjija, Sremski Karlovci, Petrovaradin, etc). Several hundred young men fled because they refused to respond to the draft of the so-called "Yugoslav Peoples Army" (JNA) and go to war against their own people in the Republic of Croatia. Because of this their families were. called Ustashe and were accused of helping Croatia. Every day whole familie are threatened by murder and liquidation, they are terrorized and abused. Croatians are accused of buying, hiding and distributing weapons. On the basis ofthese accusations their houses are being forcefully entered and the contents destroyed. The residents .are threatened with bodily harm and abused. There have already been several attacks in which sacred objects were damaged (Bad, Subotica, Sombor, aid, Sremska Mitrovica, .Petrovaradin, Pandevo etc).Explosive devices were thrown at the houses of prominent Croats (Sombor, aid, Plavna etc), at some of them several times. They are being forced to leave their ancestors homes, into which Serbs are forcibly moving. The Croats, owners of the property, are being forced to sign a document that they are)'voluntarily" moving to Craotia and leaving their property. Their 'money and jewelry are forcibly taken. Croatian refugees from Vojvodina are seeking refuge in Croatia, Hungary and other European countries. Some of the refugees have succeeded in exchanging their houses and property with Serbs in Croatia, but only with unfavourable terms. All of these pogroms are carried out by supported by the local;.authorities, Yugoslav Army and police.

The speech of the Chetnik Duke Vojislav se elj in the Serbian Parliament on April 1, 1992, in which he threatened all Croats and other non-Serbs, insluding those in Vojvodina, with expulsion, is the confirmation and public declaration of the official minority rights policies of the Republic of Serbia. The speech also displays the way in which human rights and personal freedom are protected recognized and protected. Due to Serbian politics, Crats ub Vojvodina live in constant fear and peril without the possibility of protecting their basic human rights and freedom. 7 THE CROATS IN VOJVODINA

1) The Croats in Vojvodina are the native people who have been living with other nationalities for centuries. Living together they have all accepted certain rules of behaviour which have impact on cultural, educational, religious and political life in Vojvodina. Due to these reasons there has been regional, political and economical autonomy in Vojvodina and being such it has been constitutional element of SFRJ. This autonomy of Vojvodina was illegally abolished in 1988.

2) DLCV considers that the future state in this region has to be organised in the following way: - To be the heir of the SFRJ in the same way, to the same extent as all other states established on the territory of the former Yugoslavia. - To recognise the previous borders of former republics of SFRJ. - To accept as constitutional elements all those that were constitutional elements of SFRJ and want to continue as constitutional elements of a new state. - To fulfil completely the criteria of the arbitrary commission of EC (Badinter commission)

3) The future state has to be established on the base of parliamentary democracy with strong local selfgoverment. In the areas where minorities form major population they should be given the territory with special status, where the rights of the national communities should be guaranteed by the special laws of national community.

4) DLCV considers that the Croats should be given cultural autonomy by the constitutional law which would control the juridical status of the Croats and the implementation of this law. This law has to provide the right of public usage of the language of the Croats and Latin letters in all strata of the government and justice as well as public usage of the national symbols for all the Croats. This law employs the right for: - Culture and education - Media - Governmental power, justice and police so that the members of the Croatian national community should be proportionally represented in these structures.

5) The Croatian National Council should take care of the fulfilment of the rights mentioned above. The members of this Croatian National Council would be elected through the democratic elections by the Croats.

6) The Croatian National Council should be provided with different competence like: personnel, property, law, and finance. Adequate expert authorities are also necessary for successful functioning of cultural autonomy. The Council should be given right to put a veto on, whenever a decision which is confronted to the existing law may be put through. 7)In the new State Croats should be provided with the possibility of double citizenship.

8) Autonomy to Vojvodina and special status for minorities within Vojvodina would provide all these rights and establish a long lasting peace of all the national communities. Thus a firm democratic state could be brought up.

DEMOCRATIC LEAGUE OF THE CROATS IN VOJVODINA YU-24000 Subotica trg Lazara Ne{i}a 1/X phone & fax: ++381-24-51-348

__ __- ,.r., .. , ._.._..._..... ,., .. __._ . ___ .. ____._. . THE JURIDICAL SITUATION

OF THE CROATS IN VOJVODINA (REP. SERBIA)

By the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia it has been consolidated that the Republic of Serbia is a democratic state of all citizens who live in it and it has been established on the existence of law and social justice (article 1). Sovereignty belongs to all the residents of the Republic of Serbia (art.2,1). According to the constitution all the citizens are equal in their rights and duties and have the same protection of- the state and other governmental agencies despite the race, sex, birth, language, national belonging, religious practice, political and other convictions, education, social origin, personal income or other personal property (art.14,1),the freedom of man is inviolable (art. 15.1). The flat is untouchable (art.21.1).The law of property and the freedom of undertaking is guaranteed according to the Constitution (art.34.1). The Constitution guarantees the freedom of religious practice which includes the freedom of faith, attending sacral rituals (41.1). The freedom of political sindicate and other forms of organising and activity without permission of registration with the competent agency is guaranteed (44.1). Further on the Constitution guarantees the freedom of conscience, thoughts, and public expression of opinions (art. 45.1). The Constitution guarantees the citizens the freedom to decide about their national belonging and culture and the freedom of their native language and alphabet.

Inspite of these constitutionally guaranteed rights which are equal for all the citizens of the Republic of Serbia or they should be equal according to the Constitution regardless of the national belonging or religious practice. The Democratic League of Croats in Vojvodina has found out by the official documents or by oral or written announcements of residents of the Croats in Vojvodina that the constitutional principles have not been respected.

Because of this, there is a great disturbance and fear among the Croats in these areas. The Croats have lost confidence in the government bodies so that they do not even report all the attacks. We have records of some cases in which some persons reported the attacks and then were beaten by the members of the police dressed in civil clothes. We should point out that in mentioned cases there wasn't any necessity of reporting the attacks and asking protection since the authorised bodies of the Secretariat of the Internal Affairs is supposed to undertake suitable steps and measures to find out the doers of such deeds as it is their official duty. All the described cases are not only the proof of the violation of the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia but they represent the criminal acts of violation by which the freedom and the rights of the citizens who belong to some nation , nationality or ethnic ^ -"1 ("

group are endangered, which has already been described in the article 61. a of the Criminal Law of the Republic of Serbia.

In art 61.a,paragraph 1, it is sanctioned that if somebody makes an attack, abuses someone, mistreats, forces, threatens or does other kind of violation in a way or under such circumstances which cause or may cause uncertainty and disturbance or inequality with the citizens who belong to some nation, nationality or ethnic group will be sentenced to imprisonment which may last from a year to lo years.

In paragraph 2 the same act it is sanctioned that everybody who pollutes or damages, -destroys cattle food, occupies someone's land, takes somebody's property, damages or destroys somebody's property, forces someone, blackmails or attacks somebod's belonging or damages the grave cemetery and other place where dead are buried in a way or under circumstances which may cause uncertainty or inequality with the residents of other nationality, nation or group will be fined with the same punishment. Paragraph 3 of the same act says that if something from the paragraph 1 or ; 2 is done to a member of other nation, nationality, or ethnic group with premeditation, if somebody has got serious physical

injuries or if any larger damage was made(up to now it is an amount of 15o.000 din, or more)or the deed was made in a group or in a specially difficult case the doer will be punished to the imprisonment to at least 5 years. Paragraph 4 of the same act says - if a person of other nation, nationality or ethnic group is killed with premeditation the murderer will be sentenced to at least 10 years of imprisonment or.death sentence.

Regarding the anticipated punishment in article 61. a charges for this criminal act should be undertaken as official duty. Even if we exclude the national element in the above mentioned cases, even then those acts that were made to the mentioned persons or the institutions where some damage has been made include elements of criminal acts, for example criminal act of compulsion from act 62 paragraph 2 of the Criminal Law of the Republic of Serbia which says - that who by force or threat, forces someone to do something or not to do or suffers, will be fined to pay the punishment or with imprisonment up to 1 year, and in paragraph 2 it is stated that if the deed from paragraph 1 is made under the threat of murder or serious physical injury imprisonment from three months to five years will follow.

Criminal act of endangering certainty from the article 67 of the Criminal Law of the Republic of Serbia in paragraph 1 says -that who endangers the certainty of a person with the serious threat * that he will attack the life or body of that person or a member of his family will be fined to pay or with imprisonment up to six months. Paragraph 2 of the same article says - that who performs the deed from the paragraph 1 to several persons or if that deed causes the disturbance among the citizens or if the act has caused serious consequences will be punished from 3 months to 5 years imprisonment-. The persecution for the criminal act from the paragraph 2 of this act should be undertaken as the official duty. Criminal act of damaging somebody's belonging from the article 176 of the Criminal Law of the Republic of Serbia in paragraph 1 states: " that who damages, destroys, or makes somebody's property useless will be fined to pay or he will be punished up to 3 years of imprisonment". In paragraph 2 it is stated that if the damage is over 15000 din, the doer will be punished from 6 months to, 5 years of imprisonment of this criminal act from paragraph 2 is undertaken as the official duty. Criminal act of causing general danger from act 187 of the Criminal Law of the Republic of Serbia states:" that who by fire, flood, explosion, poison or poisonous gas, iodine radiation, engine force or. some other generally dangerous action or generally dangerous means causes danger to life or body or belonging of greater amount will be. punished from 6 months to 6 years of imprisonment."

So far there has not been any trial against above mentioned personal acts, even those less dangerous , let alone any criminal trial from 61 a of the Criminal Law of the Republic of Serbia to which all above cases can be related.

We want to point out that we have stated some cases of violation of human and civil rights of Croats since everything was directed against them only because they are Croats.

Since the government of the Republic of Serbia persistently refuses to solve the legal position of Croatian people who live in the Republic of Serbia, although such status is defined for other nations, and because of resulting acts, we consider that Republic of Serbia breaks the collective rights of Croats who live there.

Subotica, 1993. October

Democratic League of the Croats in Vojvodina YU 24000 Subotica trg Lazara N{i}a 1/X phone & fax: ++381-24-51-348 RECENT SITUATION, OCTOBER 1993

Besides all intentions of Democratic League of Croats in Vojvodina to make a dialogue with the authorities, and to solve, on democratic basis, issue of Croats in Republic of Serbia and in Republic of Montenegro, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia:

- federal Government, 15.06.1993. refused requests of legal representatives of DLCV for cultural autonomy;

- Government of Republic of Serbia, up till now did not respond to many times requested talks;

- Parliament of Autonomous Province of Vojvodina 22.06.1993., by voting, refused to discuss the issue of Croats in Vojvodina.

It is said, on all levels of authorities, that Croats have guaranteed all human, civil and collective rights. It is not true, because:

- Croats are murdered and whole villages were ethnically cleaned from Croats, although they are there aborigines. The State does not looks forward those who execute politics of ethnic cleansing of Croats, which is a clear sign that official politics agrees with that methods.

- Police, Army, judicial structures and school authorities are ethnically cleaned now, without Croats represented there;

- Croats have no one Croat school, cultural institution, access to media, although other minorities have that facilities;

- from 1 September 1993 Croats are refrained from possibility to learn, in primary schools, Latin alphabet as a first alphabet. But they are forced to learn Cyrillic alphabet, which is a powerful mean of assimilation.

It is very clear that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia carries discriminatory politics against Croats. Since 1991., because of that politics, 35.000 Croats were expulsioned from Serbia - Voj vodina.

Witness for all that was permanent monitoring mission of CSCE, which was in Vojvodina from October 1992 to July 1993. VIOLATION ON HUMLAN, CIVIL AND COLLECTIVE RIGHTS

OF THE CROATS IN VOJVODINA

Baa, 3 rd April, 1992 At about 11 a.m. a bomb was thrown into the yard of Tuno and Anica Azaevac. It was the third bomb thrown onto houses of the Croats in the last three days.

Vajska, 20 th April, L992 At 2 a.m. bombs were thrown onto the house of Duro Jazva and Jozo Dumendfim. Witnesses claim that it was apparently done by Mirko PivadeviI, Dorde RadoeviW, and Stevo StakoviE. They are said to have thrown bombs onto the houses of other people as well.

Baa, 24 th April, 1992 In the morning fire was set to Hornjak Stipans straw and hay in Tvrdava street.

Bad, 28 th April, 1992 In the early morning hours there was an explosion in the cake shop at the bus station. The owner of the cake shop is an Albanian.

Ruma, 19 th May, 1992 Bomb attack on the house of Nedeljka and Andelka Jukim in Kraljevadka street 44a/b.

Ruma, 20 th May, 1992 Bomb attack on the house of Andrija Bil in Matija Gubec street 20.

Bad, 30 th May, 1992 Three young men broke into the flat of Stipan and Mara Nad in Marmal Tito street and after introducing themselves as the members of Memelj Party, they caused assault and battery to Mara Nad and her disabled father.

Novi Sad, 11 th June 1992 On 11 th June, 1992 at about 12 o clock a car was running along the main streets of from which one could tear that the Croats should move out or otherwise they would be expelled and that for every killed Serb loo Croats will be shot.

Ruma, 12/13 th June, 1992 Bmb attack on the house of Andrija Gajger, Marmal Tito street

Ruma, 15 th June, 1992. Bomb attack on the house of Mladen GordiE, Vuk Karadfiw street 79. Ruma, 17 th June, 1992 Bomb attack on the house of Ivan Bilil, Draginje NikmiW street 29. Ruma, 21 st and 22 nd June, 1992 Bomb attack on the house of Tomislav Gajder, Bratstvo-Jedinstvo street 17.

Ruma, 25 th and 26 th June, 1992 Bomb attack on the house of Antun Matesim, Jelenaaka street 17.

Ruma, 25 th and 26 th June, 1992 At night of 25 th June, 1992, a great number of leaflets was distributed with ultimatum to the Croats to move out. The leaflets were signed by "Black Hand". See the additional material.

It is known that the residence of the well-off and respected Croats in Ruma is often visited and that they are constantly threatened to move out. It is persecution and not moving out.

Nikinci, 25 th and 26 th June, 1992 Bomb attack on the sacristy of the Catholic church.

Irig, 10th June, 1992 An assassination was committed on the parish flat with the two bombs. The assassins were identified and caught. One of them was the son of the commander of the local police.

Platidevo, 25 th June, 1992 A bomb attack on the Catholic parish church.

Hrtkovci, 27th and 30th June, 1992 Six men broke into a parish flat twice, showing, with the knives, to the parish priest the way they would slaughter him. They threatened him that they would really slaughter him if they found him in the parish flat for the third time. The parish priest had to flee. He returned only on 5th July, 1992. In the mean time, the parish flat was completely robbed.

Nikinci, 28 th and 29 th June, 1992. Bomb attack on the parish church of St. Anthony.

Beka In the period of time from 3 rd August, 1992. until 12 th August . 1992. two bombs were thrown on Mihalj Cmiljko's house in 25 th October Street. Four bombs were thrown on the same house earlier on. The host would not be driven away from Beska. There were bomb attacks on Livaja Maro's house and David munim's house.

Srijemska Kamenica, 4th August, 1992. In Stanislav Sedlak billiards hall, four armed civilians came mistreated the owner and threatened to kill him if he stayed in * Kamenica. When the owner tried to move away the revolver pointed at him, it fired and wounded Sedlak in abdomen. Srijemska Kamenica, 6th August, 1992 The unbridled mob, after having been singing the chetnik songs in front of the Nikola Marosijuk-Mika's house, tried to break in to the house. They failed, for the door was solid.

Beka, 4th August, 1992 The Catholic chapel on the graveyard was mined.

Ruma, 10th August, 1992 The bomb attack was committed on Antun .MiletiW's house in 32 Iriska Street at about 2.30 a. m.

Srijemska Kamenica In a period of time of about a year, until 15th August, 1992, 17 Croat families moved out.

Kukujevci, 31st October, 1992. In the "Golf-caffee", Marijan Frankovim and Antun MaroseviI, the two Croat young men, were beaten up between 8 and 9 o'clock p.m.

Kukujevci, 4th and 5th November, 1992 Somebody nailed the door of the Catholic Holy Trinity church. The believers were kept from attending the Sunday's holy mass. Serbian refugees from Croatia forcibly moved in a number of family houses of Croats who work abroad or just were away from Kukujevci. The Catholic by-the-way crosses in the area surrounding Kukujevci are being demolished one after the other.

Novi Banovci, 9th December, 1992 At about 4 o'clock a.m. the Catholic parish church of the Holy Virgin Mary was mined. The church was built in 1766: The inside of the church has been heavily damaged. The same happened with the altars,the organ and the banches. The ceiling, the windows and the roof were destroyed. A bearded creature would not let strangers to come near the church at least until 15 th March, 1993.

Srijemska Kamenica, January-February 1993 Threatening by the phone happens daily in Srijemska Kamenica. Threats are for the members of the family to be killed if the family would not move out. After the phone threatening, groups of men usually come, offering houses and estates in Croatia for the exchange. They also threaten that Croats from Kamenica would have to go anyway because there is no room for them in Kamenica. That kind of men visited Josip Sabljak, Leon and Ivan Hladni, Stanko Radulovil, Gabrijel Hladni, Josip Sejlor, Ana and Ivica Stipim. None of these Croats want to move out.

Srijemska Kamenica, 6th February, 1993. Unknown people broke into the house of Marija Selor, an old women, in 4 Ivo Lola Ribar Street. They mistreated her, tied her and took her into the shed. Lightly dressed old woman spent the whole night in the shed, crying of cold and fear and calling for help. It was not until the next morning, 7 th february, 1993 that beer neighbours heard her and came to help her. The police was called. They made an investigation. The burglars searched the whole house and stole 5000 DM.

Srijemska Kamenica, 12 th February, 1993 In Stanislav Radulovil 's house came three man, presented themselves as chetniks and told him that he will have to move out. They threatened by murdering him if he would not move out in a month's time. Dragan JakodeviI moved out recently under the similar threats. Because of the threats the Corda- widow and her daughter prepare to move out, as well as Agneza Zlatko. A rather large group of Croats from Golubinci prepare to move out because of the unbearable pressure. There is a very difficult situation in Hrtkovci, Irig and Paltidevo, too. Fifty-one families moved out from Vamica, Morovie and Gibarac ('id borough) in the last few weeks. The authorities know everything about this but they do nothing to protect people from chicanery and terror.

Vajska, 25th February, 1993 Sinima Maksimovil, a worker of the Borough Office of the Ba~ borough, made a written directive according to which Mirko Karaica and his family were allowed to move in the unfinished house of Ivan PejdiR in Vajska, 29 Ivo Lola Ribar Street, Bad borough. Ivan PejdiW works in Germany. The moving-in was accomplished without the permission of the owner of the house. Vinko Pejdiu, the brother of the owner of the house (Vajska, 17 strosmajer Street) protested against this moving-in and asked for the protection of the property from the entitled authorities of the borough. On 25 th February, 1993 from Milos JodiE, the head of the Department of the Economy and Finance of the Bad borough, who promised to solve the problem. The problem was not solved until 12 th March,1993. - From the commander of the police of the Bad borough, whose reply was that he could do nothing without the written command from the entitled department of the Borough. - On 12th March 1993 from the Provincial Secretariat of Economy, Department for Housing Affairs in Novi Sad, 16 Mihajlo Pupin street. Nothing was done until 19th March, 1993.

Morovil (Wid boroug), January 1993 Towards the end of Jaunary 1993 six or seven uniformed persons broke into a glassed veranda of Ivan dalok's house in MoroviR at about 7 o'clock p.m., looking for the host. Ivan is a well off host.It was only by chance that at Ivan's house was his neighbour with his wife. The neighbour had his military identity card with him in which it was written that he had spent three months on the front as a reservist of the Yugoslav Army. When he showed this to the uniformed people, they left the house. Ivan Calog and his family left for Croatia out of fear. He intrusted the keys of the house to his neighbour. In a year's time, until the end of January 1993., 144 Catholics- Croats (about 50 families) left MoroviW.

Erdevik, 19th and 20th February, 1993. At about 1 o'clock a.m., Ivan Sveti} was heavily beaten up while he was on his way to look at his sheep at the stable in the yard of his house. The sheep were about to have young, so he had to look after them. Three sheep were slaughtered and his dog was hanged Serbs in Erdevik, who were on good terms with Croats, do not speak to them any more, for they are afraid of the revenge. They avoid Croats in the street. , 11 th February, 1993 Four policemen from Erdevik jumped over the fence in early evening hours and went into the house of Vule Fabijan, a bell-ringer of the Catholic church. They mistreated him because of the Catholic calendar which was hanged on his wall. They threatened to demolish both Catholic church and Catholic graveyard. At abdut midnight, they took Fabijan to the police station in Erdevik, where they severely beaten him up by the coils.

Then, in the middle of the night, they took him to the Erdevik and Bingula lake, beating him up on their way there, putting the revolver in his mouth and threatening to kill him. When they arrived at the lake, they threatened to drown him. His wife stayed at home, terrified and not knowing whether her husband would come home alive.

Her husband came home at dawn, heavily beaten up, all in swells and bruises.

The following day, Fabijan, went to the commander of the police in Erdevik to make charges, but the commander told him that he could not do anything without the official report from his subjugated. The doctor who examined Fabijan wrote a certificate about his injuries. Fabijan had to leave Bingula soon afterwards and go to Croatia, leaving all his estate behind. Besides Vule Fabijan, there are three more Croatian families that were banished.

Hrtkovci, 7 th and 8 th March, 1993 Bomb were thrown in the yard of Mibo and Julka Molnar 's house, Kata Petrovil's house and Janjika Jarkanj's house, all the three during one night. There are great damages. All the windows had been broken on the Parish Hall. The parish priest is very afraid for his life, because there are constant threats that he will be killed and that he will not live until Easter.

Nikinci, 12 th March, 1993. At 1 o'clock a.m. a bomb was thrown in the yard between the Catholic parish church and parish flat. All the, windows on the church were broken by'the explosion. Erdevik, 6 th May, 1992

: Uniformed persons set fire to the steeple of the local catholic : church. It burned down.

Zemun, 9 th April, 1992

The entrance door of the convent was on fire.

- Zemun, 29 th May 1992

A bomb attack was carried out onto the convent. The entrance door of the same convent was,on fire.

Kukujevci, 5/6 th November, 1992

The entrance door of the catholic Holy Trinity Church was baricaded over the night. Religious people couldn't attend the Sunday service. The Serb refuges from Croatia moved by force into the houses of Croats being on temporary work abroad. Catholic crosses along the roads nearby Kukujevci are being demolished.

. Srijemska Kamenica, 7 th February 1993 Some unkonown persons broke the window of a Jew Dorde Vermes, broke into the house and took all the valuables out of it.

Srijemska Kamenica, 8 th February 1993 There was another burglary of Dorde Verme 's house. The house was robbed completely.

Srijemska Kamenica, 9 th February 1993 Anda Maros's house was attacked by a machine gun. Fortunately, nobody was hurt since the residents were in the interior part of the house.

Subotica, Catholic Good Friday 1993

At daybreak the town was full with posters belnoging to the organization "The Serb Eagles". The "military leader" Sinima Vudinia, born at Trebinje () invited the Serbs to mobilize against the Democratic Leagne of the Croats in Vojvodina and the Democratic Community of the Hungarians in Vojvodina i. e. against the Croats and the Hungarians,. The posters were guarded for two days by bearded male figures decorated with Chetnik tokens (a two-headed eagle, death's heads and so on). The same person - VuoiniI has invited people publicly at the press conference to lynch Bela Tonkovis - the president of DLCV and - Andram Agoston - the president of DSHV. DLCV has brought charges against Sinima VuoiniI at the district court in Subotica. There was no reaction to this up to August 20 th 1993. There was a reaction of Milan Jerinkim, the head of the local Secretariat of Internal Affairs in Subotica, according to which "The Serb Eagles" are a humanitarian organization! He also stated: "Together with the people from the court we analyzed the

_..__.__. ... ,..., ,.. ,._...,r .. _.._, r,.._...__.._.., - ... ,.., . novine" 28 th May 1993 - the local papers). Not a word, nor a reaction to the charges of DLCV.

Ruma 7 th June, 1993 There was a bomb attack of the local church in Ruma. It was badly damaged.

Subotica, 25 th June, 1993 The Chetnik "military leader" Sinima VuoiniW demands publicly at the press conference that Bela Tonkovil and Andras Agoton should be hanged. There is no reaction on the part of the state authorities.

Subotica, 26 th June, 1993 The Chetnik "military leader" and the president of the Serb Radical Party, Vojislav Regelj claims publicly that there are no Croats in Vojvodina, in this way announcing implicitly the ethnic purge i.e. genocide over the Croats. No reaction of the state authorities is evident.

Petrovaradin, 27 th June, 1993 A hand bomb was thrown onto the house of Zvonimir Rufim 27, Svadie Street. The same day, four unkonown men with Chetnik token visited RufiW. They threatened him: "We will put a bomb into your mouth unless you move out. We have a gun also but we rather slaughter". The case was reported to the police. In spite of it, the same day at about 11 p.m. the bomb was thrown into the yard. All the glass in the house cracked. The following day, June 28 th,1993 one of those four men appeared and said that he would come with a lawyer in the -afternoon to negotiate about the exchange of the house for the one in Slavonska Po'ega. The police were informed about the case. The person was identified and told that "it was not nice to throw a bomb onto the house.

Subotica 28 th June, 1993 When the foundation stone for an orthodox church was laid in Bajmok, there was a festirity in the small town. The event was celebrated by shooting. Local residents could see varions weapons used by the extremists in order to terrify people. One of the Serbs wearing the uniform of an illegal military formation knocked down sir Gabor Kudlik, a member of the executive board of Subotica (the Local government) who was at the festivity as a member of the official delegation of Subotica.

Kukujevci 30/31 st July, 1993 Three members of a family were killed in a family house in Vladimir Nazor Street: Nikola Osmokim (aged 52) , his wife Agica (aged 50) and Agica's aunt (aged 87). Nikola was found tied, dressed and killed with three bullets from a machine gun; Agica and Marija were killed with a gun bullet. Nikola has been threatened several times to move out. He stubbornly refused it, strengthening, with his example, the will of other Croats to remain at, their several centuries old, hearths. This action was performed in order to violate the wish of the Croats to stay at Kukujevci.

-__, ,,_ .r _ ._ ...... -.. ,....._ Up to August 20 th 1993 the police did not give any reports of the investigation results. Even before this event, there were some other cases of the Croats' murder but the police have not solved any case yet.

Petrovaradin, 12 th August 1993 A Croat Dugan BimaniR was killed with a gun in his cottage by his neighbour, a Serb, Dugan Jovanovil. Jovanovim has threatened Bimania several times with a gun. He told him that he would kill him. He's even shot into the air once. BimaniI has asked the police to protect him. He has also asked them to take the gun away from Jovanovil but in vain, since there was no raaction on tre part of the police. NOVI SLANKAMEN(the municipality of Indjija) 24/25.12.1993.

During the traditional catholic midnight ceremonial mess, a church was attacked by stones: windows were broken and people were annoyed. The local priest called the police which, at that time was in village, to relief the believers from the attack, but they replayed that there are more attackers than them and that they need a help from another village. The other patrol came too late, only when believers went their homes, frightened and astonished. The attackers "party" has continued in the local pubs. The attackers threatened the catholics (Croats)with murders and expulsion. Because of the police's ignorancy, Croatian community slowly migrates to other countries, mostly to Croatia. Since 1991. from 3000 inhabitants of Croatian origin, only 350 left in Novi Slankamen. All of them are old people, not able to start again from the beginning in Croatia or somewhere else. The attackers are Serb-extremists, who have taken placef in the so-called rebellion, but real war, in Croatia. Now, they are moving to the villages in Srijem, which were, previously, inhabited by Croats.

NIKINCI, 24/25.12.1993.

During the Christmas Eve, the gate of the church-yard was stolen. Purpose of that act was to annoy Catholic inhabitants of the village, the Croatian population. Police, although they new about that, did not take any action. During the same night, the Christmas Eve, the Croats were disturbed and frightened by Serbian extremists.

RUMA, 31.12.1993./1.1.1994.

During the New Year Eve, somebody has attacked and demolished the whole Catholic church. The church had valuable pictures and other artistic things, that is to say that damage was big.

It is symptomatic that police knows what is happening in Srijem, but it seems that they do not care, because the real action is missing.

Ethnic cleansing, expulsions and mistreatment of Croats seems to be a part of the State politics. We are consorned with our position in Serbia, because our lives and existance are in danger, although Serbia proclaims equality of citizens and equal protection for all. The last, and most frightening proclamation is that Serbia is not the country in war. Because of that, we are afraid of that kind of peace.