Croatians demand compensation from Serbia

He was taken captive during the war in Croatia and sent to Serbia, where he was kept in inhumane conditions.

Dragutin Guzovski, marked with the number 2280 in Serbian archives to capture captives from Croatia, has launched the battle for recognising the persecution he has experienced following Vukovar's arrest in 1991. He has been held captive in Serbian camps more than six months in Mitrovica and Srem.

After a long wait, he, together with the chairman of the Association of Prisoners in Vukovar and Sremni, has decided to launch the process against Serbia.

I and Mr. Rehak (Danijel Rehak, chairman of the Society) have gone to all relevant ministries”, Guzovski says. But after a long wait, he has decided to hire a lawyer in Serbia and formally ask Serbia to pay the compensation for persecution during the war.

This is only the first case. The three of us, Antun Horvat and Sreqko Glamocak have decided to sue the Republic of Serbia”, Guzovski says. But he believes that there will be many more after them who will seek compensation from Serbia.
Trauma, Beat, Inhuman Treatment
Guzovski believes Serbia will not enter the judicial process, but will offer an agreement outside the tribunal. He fears that too much time can pass until the final decision. Guzuovski recognises that no one who has left Serbia's camps has died as a result of age. Traumas, beatings and inhumane conditions in prisons have been the most frequent cause of death after leaving Serbian prisons. The three main causes of deaths of people who have been in Serbian camps are cancer, stroke and heart attack.

Dragutin has been in Serbia's camps for six and a half months. 126 days has been lonely in cells whose doors have often not been opened for days, he tells DW. Before boarding the camp, it has been wounded three times, while even today there are metal parts of bullets in the body. It's been released from camp with a lot of broken bones all over the body. In the camps, he lost 300 pounds [46 kg] for several months. On all these charges he also has evidence of the doctor.
Guzovski demands from Serbia a compensation worth 6,48 000 dinars, meaning around 51,000 Euros. The compensation itself says that he is not really interested in the money, so he has demanded such a symbolic sum. But Serbia has put him on trial for four reasons: The unjust kidnapping of freedom, deportation, and entry into camps, nonhuman and inhuman behavior, and total violation of the Geneva Convention. The worst for him is that on the Interpol list, according to Serbia's arrests, still today, 26 years after the end of the war, the names of people who have been in Serbia's camps.
I've been out of the country more than 12 years, although I'm not in any judicial process. But if you're looking for the Google “persons wanted by police” Then you will find all our names. We can't go anywhere, says Guzovski.

The first indictment of this type
Serbia in some form is holding all these people hostage. For months they have suffered in Serbia's camps, and now for years they cannot move free and go to some European Union country that represents human rights violations. This is the first indictment of this kind against Serbia, because Montenegro has accepted responsibility for the Morinje camp and has paid the persons who were in this camp.
One republic of the former state, dubbed “Serbia and Montenegro”, has pleaded guilty and paid the damages. That's why the other republic has to do it, so Serbia, Guzovski thinks.
The very existence of camps in Serbia is a very burdensome fact for this neighbouring country. Many citizens of Serbia are unaware of what happened on their state territory. While the issue is not only about any legal process, it also has political background, in particular the moment Serbia's prime minister, Anna Brnabiq, in an interview for DW says Serbia is an absolutely proud <x0 country and that it has faced the past”.
Private indictment
We have been silent for years and at last have had to start the procedure ourselves before courts, according to personal indictments. These are private indictments”, says Dragutin Guzovski.
The confirmation of the temporarily confiscated” is a document showing Guzovski, with the signing of Major Zoran Randjelovic, by command 33 of the prison camp. The document has seal and signature.

Guzovski says that in this great disaster he has been fortunate to have sent to Serbia's camps. “What will happen to the people who were held in Serb camps in Knin, Glin, Dalj, Nagoslavc... what will happen to them?”, he asks, with the explanation that these people will probably have no chance of receiving any compensation.
The Ministry of Justice in Belgrade reports that the request is under way and that special court hearings will be held for this. Serbian justice is thought to offer an agreement on the issue. On this issue, the DW has also sought an explanation at the Croatian Ministry of Justice, but until the completion of this text there has been no response.