Croatia: Treatment of Croatians of Serbian ethnicity by society and authorities (2013)

1. Implementation of Bilingual Signs

According to Croatia's 2002 Constitutional Law on the Rights of National Minorities,

Equality in the official use of a minority language and script shall be exercised in the territory of a self-government unit where the members of a national minority make at least one third of the population. (Art. 12(1))

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Head of Mission for Southeast Europe of the Coalition for Work with Psychotrauma and Peace (CWWPP), a Dutch NGO with a branch in Vukovar, Croatia, that provides training in trauma, non-violent conflict resolution and civil society development (CWWPP n.d.), indicated that, based on 2011 census numbers, the Croatian government has identified two cities (Vrbovsko and Vukovar) and twenty-one municipalities in which Serbian Cyrillic must be recognized as an official language because of the percentage of Serbians in the population (ibid. 22 Nov. 2013). The Head of Mission indicated that in municipalities where there is a large Serbian population, Cyrillic has been used officially for many years, and in some cases, even before the end of the Croatian war (ibid.).

Sources report that, in Zagreb in April 2013, 20,000 people protested the government's plan to introduce Cyrillic signs in Vukovar in accordance with the national minorities law (Reuters 2 Sept. 2013; Croatian Times 8 Apr. 2013). According to Balkan Insight, the government began to bring Cyrillic into official use in approximately 20 municipalities, including Vukovar, in September 2013 (2 Sept. 2013). Sources indicate that, in Vukovar, protestors tore down signs with Cyrillic writing that had been newly installed on government buildings (Balkan Insight 2 Sept. 2013; Reuters 2 Sept. 2013). Four police officers were reportedly wounded in the protests (ibid.; Balkan Insight 2 Sept. 2013). According to Balkan Insight, in November 2013, "right-wing" members of the Vukovar city council successfully passed a municipal statute to exempt the city from its obligation to implement bilingual signage in response to the protests (ibid. 5 Nov. 2013).

According to Reuters, Serbian Cyrillic signs "have not met resistance in a dozen other areas in Croatia with a sizeable Serb minority" (2 Sept. 2013). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2. Treatment of Ethnic Serbs

The CWWPP Head of Mission for Southeast Europe provided the following information about the treatment of ethnic Serbs in parts of Croatia where there is a significant Serbian minority population:

The treatment of Serbs by both members of society and by [officials] is quite variable. With regard to members of society, it must be remembered that many people were neighbors and friends for very long periods of time. That causes several phenomena. First, sometimes, such neighbors and friends wish to resume the relationships. When this occurs, it happens slowly. However, it does occur. The opposite phenomenon also occurs, namely that people will feel betrayed and will react with hostility and/or with ignoring the other person. Probably, the second phenomenon occurs more frequently than the first.

With regard to officials, again one must remember that there are members of the Serb and other minorities who are employed in governmental positions. Thus, the treatment received depends strongly on the ethnicity of the official. Obviously, there are more Croat than Serb officials.

There have been numerous small incidents of violence, harassment, and other mistreatment, most of which are not reported and/or only are reported locally. Only a few of these are reported at [the] national level. (CWWPP 22 Nov. 2013)

The Head of Mission explained that ethnically-motivated violence takes the form of physical and verbal fights between neighbours or between school children, and can occur in the street, during or after sporting events, or in cafes (ibid. 23 Nov. 2013). He also indicated that mixed [Serbian-Croatian] marriages, which were common before the war, have led to large family disputes and a large amount of domestic violence within mixed families (ibid.).

According to the Head of Mission, incidents of ethnically-motivated violence are seldom reported and "the police and other officials intervene only superficially" (ibid.). He expressed his opinion that

[t]he culture [in Croatia] is that people do not know their rights and are used to totalitarian systems, and thus do not seek redress of grievances from officialdom. There also is a great deal of fear of officialdom, and thus most people keep their heads down. The other side of that is that, in general, officialdom is unresponsive to complaints. (ibid. 22 Nov. 2013)

The US Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012 states that,

[d]uring the year ethnic Serb organizations received isolated reports of physical assaults directed against Serbs. Two ethnic Serb human rights NGOs assessed in September that "the times of physical interethnic incidents are mostly behind us." However, both groups cited frequent occurrences of ethnically based hate speech against Serbs, Roma, Africans, and Jews in the media and at soccer matches. (US 19 Apr. 2013, 24)

Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

In November 2013, the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated the following in a press release:

Charge d'affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Zagreb Bosa Prodanovic lodged a strong protest to Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Croatia Zeljko Kupresak regarding the ever more frequent incidents targeting the Republic of Serbia and Serbs in Croatia.

The Croatian side was told that the latest attacks against the Consulate General in Rijeka, posting in Zagreb of anti-Serb posters "Serb family tree" portraying hanged Serbs, scribbling of graffiti on Serb houses calling on Serbs to leave Croatia, and the overall anti-Serb campaign regarding the placing of bilingual signs in Vukovar, are all unacceptable and give rise to concern.

The above-mentioned incidents and the express hate speech towards the Serb community in Croatia are, unfortunately, the most evident proof of the difficult conditions in which Serbs live in Croatia. What causes particular concern is the frequency of incidents and the fact that none of the official organs of Croatia have yet publicly condemned such actions. (Serbia 15 Nov. 2013)

Similarly, the Serbian national news agency, Tanjug, reported in November 2013 that, according to Croatian NGOs, "messages of hate and acts of violence against Serbs in Croatia have been occurring more and more frequently" (18 Nov. 2013).

2.1 Discrimination

Amnesty International's 2013 report on Croatia indicates that Croatian Serbs face "discrimination," particularly in housing and employment (2013). In 2013, Human Rights Watch reported that

[m]ore than two years after the start of a program permitting Serbs stripped of tenancy rights during the 1991-1995 war to buy apartments at discounts of up to 70 percent, only 2 out of a total 1,317 eligible households had completed a purchase as of September. The UNHCR attributed the low up-take to onerous application and administrative procedures. (Human Rights Watch 2013, 420)

The same source noted, however, that the government "made some progress" in providing returning Serb families with public housing (ibid.).

Country Reports for 2012 states that "open discrimination and harassment continued against ethnic Serbs," including in the areas of employment, housing, and administration of justice (US 19 Apr. 2012, 24). The report indicates that, according to Serb NGOs, local officials sometimes did not hire qualified ethnic Serbs for a position even if there were no ethnic Croat candidates (ibid., 26).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Amnesty International. 2013. "Croatia." Amnesty Infernational Report 2013: The State of the World's Human Rights. [Accessed 22 Nov. 2013]

Balkan Insight. 5 November 2013. Boris Pavelic. "Croatia's Vukovar Bans Cyrillic After Protests." [Accessed 22 Nov. 2013]

_____. 2 September 2013. Boris Bavelic. "Croatia War Veterans Trash Cyrillic Signs in Vukovar." [Accessed 22 Nov. 2013]

Coalition for Work with Psychotrauma and Peace (CWWPP). 23 November 2013. Correspondence from the Head of Mission for Southeast Europe to the Research Directorate.

_____. 22 November 2012. Correspondence from the Head of Mission for Southeast Europe to the Research Directorate.

_____. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 22 Nov. 2013]

Croatia. 2002. Constitutional Law on the Rights of National Minorities. [Accessed 22 Nov. 2013]

Croatian Times. 8 April 2013. "Croats Protest Against Cyrillic Signs in Vukovar." [Accessed 22 Nov. 2013]

Human Rights Watch. 2013. "Croatia." World Report 2013: Events of 2012. [Accessed 22 Nov. 2013]

Reuters. 2 September 2013. "Croats Tear Down Signs Put Up for Serb Minority." [Accessed 22 Nov. 2013]

Serbia. 15 November 2013. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Press Statement Concerning Incidents in Croatia." [Accessed 25 Nov. 2013]

Tanjug. 18 November 2013. "Letter Sent to Pope over Anti-Cyrillic Sentiment in Croatia." [Accessed 22 Nov. 2013]

United States (US). 19 April 2013. Department of State. "Croatia." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012. [Accessed 22 Nov. 2013]

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sites, including: BBC; Centre for Peace, Legal Advice and Psychosocial Assistance; Croatia - Croatian News Agency; Croatia Week; Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights; Croatia Post; Dalje.com; Dubrovnik Times; The Economist; euinside; European Commission; GONG; Institute for War and Peace Reporting; Minority Rights Group International; Serb National Council.