Annual Report on the Monitoring of War Crimes Trials in 2023

In this year’s report, we look back at the trials held during 2023. We recorded a total of 64 criminal proceedings in the trial phase that are under the jurisdiction of the county courts in Zagreb, Rijeka, Osijek and Split. In three criminal proceedings under the jurisdiction of the County Court in Osijek, preliminary hearings were held. The fact that the trend of trials in absentia is still dominant is a concern. It was recorded exclusively in criminal proceedings carried out against members of Serbian paramilitary units/Yugoslav People’s Army.

In the reporting period, in four competent courts, 42 out of 64 (66%) criminal proceedings were conducted against absent defendants who mostly reside in the territory of the Republic of Serbia.1 Of the total number of monitored proceedings, 60 (94%) were against members of Serbian paramilitary units/Yugoslav People’s Army. At the same time, only 4 criminal proceedings were or are being conducted against members of Croatian units and members of the Croatian Defence Council (Crime in Osijek, defendant Branimir Glavaš et al., Crime in Hrasnica, defendant Perica Kustura, Crime in Kulina, defendant Tvrtko Pašalić et al., Marko Radić, Crime in Uskoplje, BiH).