Veterans to Sue Croatia at Human Rights Court

The alliance of homeland war soldiers and invalids of Zagreb will level a law suit against Croatia hindering then in managing their assets.

ZAGREB, CROATIA – The Alliance of Homeland War Associations and the Croatian Homeland War Invalids (HVIDRA) of Zagreb have decided to file a lawsuit against the Republic of Croatia before the International Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, the vice-president of the Alliance, Renato Selj, confirmed. 

He stressed that this was the only option after an unconstitutional reply by the Constitutional Court to which HVIDRA filed two years ago a request for it to assess the constitutionality of the Law on the Croatian Homeland War Soldiers’ Fund, as well as processes conducted while founding the fund.

The Law on Croatian Homeland War Soldiers’ Fund is unconstitutional 

- We believe that the Law on the Croatian Homeland Soldiers’ Fund is unconstitutional because former Homeland soldiers are not able to manage their own assets – Renato Selj told Javno.

The assets are managed by a steering committee which is, the former soldiers claim, under direct control of the government.

Also, the Erste Bank has stopped payments for sold shares in the fund, as well as the payments of

dividends. The government has not secured an inflow of assets into the fund and the money from the sale of shares simply disappeared, Selj said.

‘The government had to patch up the government budget’ 

- You see that the country is in recession. The government had to patch up the government budget somehow – Selj said.

- The Homeland Soldiers’ Fund is the only fund in the world where owners-stock holders, that is, former soldiers, have no rights to manage – Selj claims.

He also added that the Erste Invest company was not the best bidder and that the fund lost 700 million kuna on HT shares.

- They are now bragging on the good sale of Ina, but who knows how that will end either. Why did not they brag on the loss they incurred on HT shares – Selj wonders.

The government governs the steering board 

He said that it is obvious that the steering board is not independent, but is completely controlled by the government.

- The former soldiers are completely unable to make any decisions and many of them are deciding to sell their shares in the fund – Selj says.

He concluded that any advocating the rights of Homeland War soldiers is interpreted as personal revenge.

- I am not fighting just for myself, the rights of former soldiers are what is important and they have no rights to decide about their assets – Selj stressed.