Croatia

1.The Assembly recalls its Resolution 984 (1992) on the crisis in the former Yugoslavia, its Resolution 1019 (1994) on the humanitarian situation and needs of the refugees, displaced persons and other vulnerable groups in the countries of the former Yugoslavia and its Recommendation 1218 (1993) on establishing an international court to try serious violations of international humanitarian law.

2.It refers to the European Parliament resolution on deserters from the armed forces of states in the former Yugoslavia adopted on 28 October 1993.

Representatives of some of the main anti-war groups in former-Yugoslavia met in St Johan, Salzburg, Austria this April. One of the documents they produced was an Open Letter to Peace Movements, written in a private capacity, rather than in the name of their groups.

Against the War in Former-Yugoslavia

Women in Black in Belgrade celebrated their second anniversary on October 9, 1993. A pamphlet and a book of leaflets and articles about their work was published: for copies, fax +381 11 334 706. The group, in addition to their regular antiwar vigils, also held the workshop "Is there no end to this war?" on international women's day in 1993. In August last year, the group sponsored the second international conference on "Feminist Solidarity Against War" in Subotica, Tresnjevac and Novi Sad.

by Andrea Spehar

Lesbian life in Croatia today is a life of women who are victims of totalitarian systems forced to hide their sexuality and to have a dual life--the private and the public. A few of us decided to struggle for our rights, to be public. I hope our activities will stimulate others to join us. Obviously in war time it is very hard to overcome the lack of courage. It is hard to struggle for truth when you can be fired from work the next day.

Confronted with the unlawful eviction of thousands of occupants -predominantly women and children- from apartments formerly owned by the Federal Yugoslav Army (JNA) in Croatia, several Croatian Women's groups have joined forces in protesting against the violations. We reprint here part of a press release by the Zagreb Women's Human Rights Group, which outlines the issue:

On 4-6 March, 19 people from 10 European countries met to discuss the situation of draft resisters and deserters seeking asylum. This has become a major issue in Europe with the large numbers of refugees from the war in former-Yugoslavia, especially as several governments insist that Croatia and Serbia are not part of the war zone.

B.a.B.e. (Be active, Be emancipated) is a human rights centre for women, located in Zagreb and initiated by the Zagreb Women's Lobby. Our mission is to enhance understanding and foster the spirit and principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in ways that are culturally relevant and integral to women's lives in Croatia.

“He hit me on the mouth. I fainted. When I came to, I was raped again. While I was still conscious I was raped by eight of them, and I don’t know what happened afterward…One of them lay on me, pressing the barrel of his automatic weapon against my temple, looking Into my eyes for a long time. Another man was running the blade of a knife over my breasts…”
—Azra, age 15

Intellectuals from the warring republics of Yugoslavia have signed a joint Proposal to Stop the War. They see no possibility for the peace negotiations in the Hague to succeed until the question of reaching a ceasefire is separated from negotiations about a peace treaty and the ultimate borders in Yugoslavia. The urgent need is to stop the fighting and to create conditions of stability where a longer term agreement could be discussed. They propose six elements on which a ceasefire could be based. These include

The only telephone number I know by heart outside Yugoslavia is the War Resisters’ International office in London. This is for a very simple reason: there is always somebody there to receive and spread information, to listen and to understand, to help by giving information we need, and to talk as friends.

Our analysis, reports, warnings about the situation, and questions are always first sent to WRI. Again for a simple reason: the efficiency and the high level of ability to understand.