Documenting Human Losses in Croatia during the War 1991 – 1995
The main motive for implementing the project “Documenting Human Losses in Croatia during the War 1991-1995” is the fact that even 15 years after the war had ended there is no reliable, verifiable and undisputable number of victims of war, killed or missing on the territory of the
Republic of Croatia.
The necessity to implement this project stems from the need to prevent political and ideological manipulations with the number of war victims in Croatia. Such condition does not help alleviating effects of the war, which is a pre-condition for the development of a multiethnic and multicultural surrounding. Determining the facts about war events and their consequences
is extremely important for Croatia’s citizens, citizens of other post-Yugoslav countries, as well as the entire Europe.
Implementation of this project will make impossible arbitrary, false and malevolent manipulations of the number of war victims. Ensuring relevant data is helpful to institutions and organizations which participate in judicial processes (domestic courts, ICTY, etc.) and processes of building sustainable peace and trust. In this way, we are contributing to individualization of responsibility for war crimes.
The starting point of our research is the assumption that it is necessary to establish facts about all victims regardless of their ethnic or social group, political affiliation or status. In documenting human losses, we are using appropriate scientifically-based methodology and contemporary research techniques. We want to pay our respects to victims of war by making possible their names and conditions in which they suffered war-related violence are made publicly known, regardless of ethnic or religious group they belonged to, or what political idea or ideology they
supported. We believe that every society has a responsibility to raise awareness of the fact that victims of war violence are not just numbers, but people with first and last names, with their family history.
GOALS
Main goals of the project are to determine the number of victims of the 1991-1995 war as complete as possible, as well as the facts on the condition in which they suffered war-related violence to ensure a publicly accessible data base which would contain relevant information.
RESULTS
Key results of the project will be a name-by-name list of all victims with their personal information such as date and place of birth, parents’ names, address, ethnicity, time, place and manner of suffering, status (civilian or combatant). The list will also include other relevant information, if they are known (such as education, employments status, religious belief,
marital status, place of burial, etc.) The collected information will be publicly accessible in an electronic and printed form.
SEND INFORMATION
We invite all citizens how have any information on war victims in Croatia (killed, missing, imprisoned, tortured…), perpetrators, witnesses, any written, photo or video documentation on war crimes or other serious violations of human rights committed during the war, to contact us and join us in creating a true and fact-based review of war events in the period from 1991 to 1995, as well as in creating as much complete list of war victims’ names as possible.
Contact us and our researchers will visit you as shortly as possible and collect your information. You can also deliver the information anonimously through dedicated contact form or by e-mail istrazivanje@documenta.hr.