Danish Immigration Service _______________________________________________ Report on the fact-finding mission to Eastern Slavonia 30 August – 13 September 1999 Copenhagen, March 2000 Report on the fact-finding mission to eastern Slavonia Contents 1 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................6 2 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ..............................................................................................7 3 GEOGRAPHY AND POPULATION PATTERNS ................................................................9 3.1 GEOGRAPHY...............................................................................................................................9 3.1 POPULATION PATTERNS ..............................................................................................................9 4 CITIZENSHIP..........................................................................................................................11 4.1 GENERAL POINTS ......................................................................................................................12 4.2 PROCESSING OF CASES..............................................................................................................13 4.3 COMMENTS ON INDIVIDUAL PROVISIONS OF THE CITIZENSHIP ACT .............................................13 4.4 POSSIBILITIES FOR APPEAL........................................................................................................15 4.5 MILITARY SERVICE WHERE DUAL NATIONALITY IS HELD...............................................................16 4.6 RECEPTION CENTRES ................................................................................................................16 4.7 PERSONAL PAPERS ....................................................................................................................16 5 POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SITUATION ETC..........................................18 5.1 POLITICAL SITUATION ...............................................................................................................18 5.1.1 Serb political organisations ............................................................................................19 5.1.2 Serb representation on local political bodies in eastern Slavonia ..................................22 5.1.3 Serb media......................................................................................................................23 5.2 ECONOMIC SITUATION ..............................................................................................................24 5.2.1 Economy in general........................................................................................................24 5.2.2 Labour market ................................................................................................................25 5.3 EDUCATION..............................................................................................................................27 5.4 SOCIAL SITUATION ....................................................................................................................29 5.4.1 Pensions and social security...........................................................................................29 2 30 August to 13 September 1999 Report on the fact-finding mission to eastern Slavonia 5.5 RELIGIOUS SITUATION...............................................................................................................30 6 CONSCRIPTION FOR MILITARY SERVICE...................................................................31 6.1 MORATORIUM...........................................................................................................................31 6.2 ALTERNATIVE NATIONAL SERVICE ..............................................................................................32 7 PROPERTY OWNERSHIP....................................................................................................33 7.1 RETURN PROGRAMME ...............................................................................................................33 7.1.1 Housing commissions in eastern Slavonia .....................................................................34 7.2 GENERAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RETURN PROGRAMME.........................................................35 7.2.1 Alternative accommodation ...........................................................................................36 7.3 TENANCY RIGHTS IN RESPECT OF STATE-OWNED HOUSING ..........................................................38 7.4 RECONSTRUCTION AID ..............................................................................................................39 8 SECURITY SITUATION........................................................................................................40 8.1 INCIDENTS................................................................................................................................40 8.2 MISSING PERSONS.....................................................................................................................44 8.3 GENERAL ASSESSMENT OF THE SECURITY SITUATION ..................................................................47 8.4 KOSOVO CONFLICT ...................................................................................................................49 8.5 PROMINENT FIGURES, INCLUDING NGOS ..................................................................................50 8.6 MIXED-RACE MARRIAGES ..........................................................................................................50 8.7 RECONCILIATION PROCESS........................................................................................................51 9 LAW ENFORCEMENT..........................................................................................................53 9.1 POLICE ....................................................................................................................................53 9.1.1 Role of the OSCE...........................................................................................................53 9.1.2 Integration of police forces, including ethnic composition............................................53 9.1.3 Police response to ethnically motivated incidents..........................................................54 9.1.4 Training and experience .................................................................................................55 9.1.5 Disciplinary action.........................................................................................................56 9.2 LEGAL SYSTEM..........................................................................................................................56 30 August to 13 september 1999 3 Report on the fact-finding mission to eastern Slavonia 9.2.1 Organisational separation of courts and public prosecutors...........................................56 9.2.2 Ethnic composition of the judicial system in the Danube region...................................57 9.2.3 Operation of the courts, including appointment and independence of judges ...............57 9.2.4 Resources........................................................................................................................59 10 AMNESTY LEGISLATION...................................................................................................59 10.1 IMPLEMENTATION OF AMNESTY LEGISLATION .............................................................................60 10.1.1 Numbers covered by amnesty legislation.......................................................................60 10.1.2 Trials in absentia ............................................................................................................60 10.1.3 Granting of amnesty .......................................................................................................60 10.1.4 New war crimes charges.................................................................................................61 10.1.5 General comments on cases ...........................................................................................64 10.1.6 Possible future cases.......................................................................................................65 10.1.7 Specific cases .................................................................................................................66 10.1.8 Legal safeguards.............................................................................................................68 10.1.9 Prosecution of Croats .....................................................................................................68 10.1.10 Amnesty and criminal record ........................................................................................69 11 ENTRY AND EXIT PROCEDURES, INCLUDING PASSPORTS ...................................69 11.1 TRAVEL DOCUMENT ISSUE.........................................................................................................69 11.2 ENTRY AND EXIT CHECKS ..........................................................................................................71 12 LIST OF ORGANISATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS CONSULTED..................................72 13 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................75 14 ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................................................................76