Zagreb - Amnesty International a réitéré mardi son appel aux autorités croates à ouvrir une enquête sur des allégations mettant en cause un très influent homme politique local, Vladimir Seks, dans une affaire de crimes de guerre commis pendant le conflit serbo-croate (1991-95).
"Des allégations visant Vladimir Seks doivent faire l'objet d'une enquête", a déclaré une responsable de l'ONG de défense des droits de l'Homme, Nicola Duckworth, citée dans un communiqué.
M. Seks, qui est actuellement le vice-président du Parlement croate et haut responsable du parti au pouvoir en Croatie, l'Union démocratique croate (HDZ), a été la principale personnalité politique dans l'est de la Croatie au début de la guerre.
"Il (M. Seks) ne doit pas (...) abuser de son pouvoir, en tant qu'homme politique influent, pour bloquer un procès en justice", a ajouté Mme Duckworth.
Selon l'ONG, M. Seks est mis en cause par de "nouvelles" allégations l'accusant de ne pas avoir stoppé de "graves abus perpétrés par les forces sous son commandement".
Début janvier, une ONG locale avait fait état du témoignage d'une personne, affirmant que M. Seks n'avait pas ordonné une enquête sur des crimes de guerre commis en 1991 par ses subordonnés.
Selon la justice internationale, des responsables militaires et politiques peuvent être tenus responsables pour des crimes de guerre commis par leurs subordonnés s'ils n'ont rien fait pour les arrêter ou pour punir leurs auteurs.
M. Seks a rejeté vendredi ces accusations et a déclaré avoir fait, de sa propre initiative, une déposition à ce sujet devant le parquet.
Amnesty avait déjà accusé la Croatie, dans un rapport publié en décembre, de n'avoir jamais ouvert d'enquête visant M. Seks et d'autres anciens responsables, malgré des "allégations publiques".
Le ministère croate de la Justice a rejeté ces remarques de l'ONG internationale et exprimé ses "regrets que le rapport d'Amnesty n'ait pas été fait en coopération avec les institutions croates compétentes", dans un document publié sur son site internet.
Quant à M. Seks et d'autres hauts responsables, le ministère estime que les accusations d'Amnesty ont été avancées "sans aucune vérification et une enquête impartiale des faits".
La proclamation par la Croatie de son indépendance de la Yougoslavie, en 1991, a été suivie d'une guerre entre les forces de Zagreb et les sécessionnistes serbes soutenus par Belgrade. Ce conflit a fait environ 20.000 morts.
Source : romandie.com, le 18 janvier 2011.
A number of high profile Croatian military and political leaders have evaded war crimes investigations
18 January 2011
Amnesty International has renewed its call on the Croatian authorities to investigate claims that a senior politician failed to prevent war crimes committed by Croatian forces during the 1991-1995 war.
Vladimir Šeks, currently Deputy Parliament Speaker, who was a leading political figure in the Eastern Slavonija region in 1991, faces fresh claims that he failed to stop grave abuses perpetrated by forces under his command.
On 13 January, the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, a Croatian non-governmental organization (NGO), submitted new testimony from a witness claiming that Vladimir Šeks had failed to investigate her report of a crime allegedly committed by his subordinates in 1991. The NGO provided statements by five other witnesses related to other crimes allegedly committed in Eastern Slavonija at that time.
“The allegations against Vladimir Šeks must be investigated. It is well documented that during the war he was in a position of political command, as the Head of Crisis Headquarters in Eastern Slavonija, and that his subordinates committed crimes with impunity,” Nicola Duckworth said.
“He must not be allowed to misuse his power as an influential political figure in order to block the justice process.”
Croatian forces under Vladimir Šeks’ command are said to have tortured civilians during the conflict that followed the disintegration of the former state of Yugoslavia.
In its report, Behind the Wall of Silence: Prosecution of War Crimes in Croatia, published in December 2010 Amnesty International expressed its concern that a number of high profile Croatian military and political leaders have to date still managed to evade investigation for alleged war crimes.
Following publication, one of the people named in the report – Tomislav Merèep – was arrested and an investigation against him opened by the Croatian State Prosecutor’s Office.
In relation to the alleged responsibility of Vladimir Šeks, the Amnesty international report documented allegations about the potential command responsibility of Vladimir Šeks for crimes committed in the town of Osijek in 1991. The allegations are based on publicly available information such as court judgments and court testimonies of several witnesses.
“According to the Geneva Conventions, which Croatia is a party to, military and civilian superiors may be criminally responsible for the acts of their subordinates if they knew, or had information that such crimes under international law were committed or were about to be committed.”
“The wounds of the war in Croatia are still open. Accountability for war crimes and redress for the victims and their families irrespective of ethnic origin, accompanied by a frank and informed debate in the public sphere will help Croatia move forward,” said Nicola Duckworth, Europe and Central Asia Programme Director.
Vladimir Šeks has been a member of the Croatian Parliament since the country’s independence in 1991 as a representative of the Croatian Democratic Union (Hrvatska Demokratska Zajednica – HDZ). He held several senior positions including the posts of the Speaker of the Parliament (December 2003-January 2008), Vice-Speaker of the Parliament (from January 2008 until present), Deputy Prime Minister (1992-1995) and the State Prosecutor (April – August 1992).
Source : amnesty.org, le 18 janvier 2011.
17. siječnja 2011. godine
Hrvatski političar mora biti stavljen pod istragu zbog navoda o ratnim zločinima
Organizacija Amnesty International ponovo je pozvala hrvatske vlasti da istraže tvrdnje kako visoki političar nije spriječio ratne zločine koje su počinile hrvatske snage tokom rata vođenog od 1991. - 1995. godine.
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Vladimir Šeks, trenutno potpredsjednik Sabora, koji je bio vodeća politička ličnost u regiji istočne Slavonije 1991. godine, suočen je s novim tvrdnjama da nije reagirao kako bi zaustavio grube zloupotrebe koje su počinile snage pod njegovim zapovjedništvom.
13. siječnja, Inicijativa mladih za ljudska prava, hrvatska nevladina organizacija (NVO), podnijela je novo svjedočenje svjedokinje koja tvrdi da Vladimir Šeks nije ispitao njenu prijavu zločina kojeg su navodno počinili njegovi podređeni 1991. godine. Ova NVO priložila je izjave još pet svjedoka u vezi sa drugim zločinima navodno počinjenim u istočnoj Slavoniji u to vrijeme.
"Navodi protiv Vladimira Šeksa moraju biti ispitani. Dobro je dokumentirano da je on tijekom rata bio na položaju političkog zapovjednika, kao načelnik Kriznog štaba u istočnoj Slavoniji, i da su njegovi podređeni počinili zločine za koje nisu kažnjeni", izjavila je Nicola Duckworth.
"Ne smije mu se dopustiti da zloupotrijebi vlast kao utjecajna politička ličnost i blokira pravosudni proces."
Hrvatske snage pod zapovjedništvom Vladimira Šeksa su navodno mučile civile tijekom sukoba koji je uslijedio nakon raspada bivše države Jugoslavije.
U svom izvještaju, Iza zida šutnje: Procesuiranje ratnih zločina u Hrvatskoj, objavljenom u prosincu 2010. godine, Amnesty International izrazio je zabrinutost što jedan broj istaknutih hrvatskih vojnih i političkih lidera do danas uspješno izbjegava istragu o navodnim ratnim zločinima.
Nakon njegovog objavljivanja, jedan od ljudi imenovanih u izvještaju - Tomislav Merčep - je uhićen i Državno odvjetništvo Republike Hrvatske je otvorilo istragu protiv njega.
U vezi sa navodnom odgovornošću Vladimira Šeksa, izvještaj organizacije Amnesty International dokumentirao je navode u vezi s potencijalnom zapovjednom odgovornošću Vladimira Šeksa za zločine počinjene u Osijeku 1991. godine. Ovi navodi su zasnovani na javno dostupnim informacijama poput sudskih presuda i svjedočenja nekoliko svjedoka pred sudom.
"Prema Ženevskim konvencijama, kojih je Hrvatska potpisnica, vojni i civilni zapovjednici mogu biti kazneno odgovorni za djela svojih podređenih ako su znali, ili imali informacije da su takvi zločini po međunarodnom pravu počinjeni ili postoji namjera da budu počinjeni."
"Rane nanijete ratom u Hrvatskoj još uvijek su otvorene. Odgovornost za ratne zločine i zadovoljenje za žrtve i njihove obitelji bez obzira na etničko porijeklo, praćeni iskrenom i potkrijepljenom debatom u javnoj sferi, će pomoći Hrvatskoj da napreduje", rekla je Nicola Duckworth, programska direktorica za Europu i centralnu Aziju.
Pozadina
Vladimir Šeks zastupnik je u Saboru Hrvatske od njene nezavisnost 1991. godine kao predstavnik Hrvatske demokratske zajednice (HDZ). Obavljao je nekoliko visokih dužnosti, uključujući dužnost predsjednika Sabora (prosinac 2003. - siječanj 2008.), potpredsjednika Sabora (od siječanj 2008. do danas), vicepremijera (1992. - 1995.) i državnog tužitelja (travanj - kolovoz 1992.).
Tagovi: ratni zločini, Vladimir Šeks
Source : h-alter.org, le 18 janvier 2011.