Zagreb-Sarajevo, August 3, 2022
We, the undersigned, gathered today in Zagreb for a half-hour anti-war action at 12 o'clock at the Ban Jelačić Square in memory of our fellow citizens, citizens of this country, who were killed and expelled during and after the military operation 'Storm'.
With this action, we express our solidarity with all victims of war and with all victims of crimes committed in our name.
During and after operation 'Storm', members of the Croatian army and police, as well as civilians, committed a large number of crimes against the Serbian population of the Republic of Croatia, and most of these crimes were never prosecuted.
According to civil society estimates, more than 600 civilians were killed and more than 22,000 houses burned during and after the 'Storm'. About 150,000 of its citizens left Croatia at that time, whose return was systematically made difficult and impossible for years.
We oppose the state's denial of the facts. We point out and warn that during and after this operation, our fellow citizens of Serbian ethnicity were killed, their property was stolen and destroyed, their family members were expelled, and their return was de facto impossible. A society based on the lack of acknowledgment of its mistakes from the past has no perspective of a peaceful future.
We demand the prosecution of perpetrators of war crimes committed during and after the 'Storm'. The crimes in the "Storm" are the responsibility of the Croatian state.
The irresponsible behavior of Croatian politicians in dealing with the past is incomprehensible to us.
The current political leadership in Croatia does not show sincerity, humility, and respect for the victims of these crimes, for the people who were killed.
For us as representatives of civil society, dealing with the 'Storm' should be a path of reconciliation and not a path of strife. It should not be a path of celebration, but a path of understanding. Until we face the war crimes in The Storm, we have no right to point fingers at others.
Center for Women Victims of War - ROSA (Zagreb), Center for Civic Courage (Zagreb), Youth Initiative for Human Rights (Zagreb), Association for Social Research and Communications - UDIK (Sarajevo), Women's Network of Croatia.