Serbs of Croatia

Serbs are the largest national minority in the Republic of Croatia. The majority of the Serbs trace their roots in territory of present day Croatia for over 400 years. Most of them came as refugees fleeing the invading Ottoman (Turkish) Army. ³ There are approximately 201,631 Serbs in the country, according to the 2001 Croatian population census. For various political reasons, primarily the mass-flight during Operation Storm,⁴ around 35% of Croatian Serbs still actually live in Croatia.

Population

Generally, during the course of history the population of Serbs in Croatia has steadily gone down. This trend can chiefly be attributed to the casualties of war, as well as mass migrations that were induced by it. The loss of the heavily Serb populated Eastern Srijem region, the incorporation of Istria and Dalmatia, and the non-inclusion of Croat dominated regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina into the People's Republic of Croatia (as had been done in the Banovina of Croatia), are examples of territorial changes that either increased or reduced the relative percentage of the Serb population of Croatia.

Changes during the 1990's

Most of the Serbs from Bilogora and northwestern Slavonia fled those areas as they fell under Croatian military control.^{citation needed} In the later stages of the war, under order of Republic of Serbian Krajina government most of the Serbs of western Slavonia, Banija, Kordun, eastern Lika and northern Dalmatian Zagora fled those areas also came under Croatian military control [1] The largest decrease in the number of Serbs in Croatia occurred during the Croatian War of Independence which was part of Yugoslav wars.^{citation needed} Prewar census of 1991 was the last Serbian consensus held in Croatia. Around 580,000 citizens declared themselves as Serbs.^{citation needed} At that time Serbs represented 12.2% on the Croatian population.^{citation needed} After the war, the Serbian population reduced radically to 4.5%.^{citation needed} Today the majority of the population continues to live in exile in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Montenegro, where, as of 2005, there were still 200,000 refugees.¹³

Prominent individuals

Religion

Nikola Tesla. Tesla was of Serbian ethnicity, and was born in the territory of the Croatian Military Frontier (Austro-Hungary).

The Serbs of Croatia are Serbian Orthodox. There are many Orthodox monasteries across Croatia, built since the 12th century. Most notable are the Krka Monastery, Krupa Monastery, Dragović Monastery, Lepavina Monastery and Gomirje Monastery. Many Orthodox churches were demolished during World War II, the recent Yugoslav war, while some were rebuilt by the Croatian government with money partially donated by the Serbian diaspora.³⁶

History

World War II

During World War II, the Axis powers occupied Yugoslavia, partially partitioning it and on territory of today Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia creating the Independent State of Croatia, with the Ustaše movement installed at its head [2]. Catholic monks and priests, including Archbishop Sarić of Sarajevo (nicknamed the "Hangman of Serbs"),³⁸ supported forcible conversions and were largely silent about the killings.^{citation needed} In addition, the regime organized extermination camps, the most notorious of which was the Jasenovac concentration camp, where Serbs, Jews, Gypsies, and anti-fascist Croats were massacred in large numbers. Between 330,000³⁹ and 500,000⁴⁰ of Serbs in the Independent State of Croatia were killed by the Ustaše during the war.

Yugoslav wars

After the war

The war ended with a military success of the Croatian government in 1995 and subsequent peaceful reintegration of the remaining renegade territory in eastern Slavonia in 1998.^{citation needed} The exodus of the Krajina Serbs in 1995 was prompted by the advance of the Croatian troops, but was mostly self-organized rather than forced.⁴⁴¹ All Serbs were officially called upon to stay in Croatia shortly before the operation,⁴². Many Croat refugees moved to homes abandoned by Serbs during Operation Storm, ostensibly because their homes were destroyed by the Serbs.⁴¹ At the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at The Hague, Milan Babić was indicted, pleaded guilty and was convicted for "persecutions on political, racial and religious grounds, a crime against humanity".^{citation needed} Babić stated during his trial that "during the events, and in particular at the beginning of his political career, he was strongly influenced and misled by Serbian propaganda".⁴³

Tensions in modern Croatia

Tension between Serbs and Croatians were violently high in 1990s.^{citation needed} The violence has reduced since 2000 and has remained low to this day, however, significant problems remain.⁴⁴ The participation of the largest Serbian party SDSS in the Croatian Government of Ivo Sanader has eased tensions to an extent, but the refugee situation is still politically sensitive.^{citation needed} The main issue is high-level official and social discrimination against the Serbs.[3]

At the height levels of the government, new laws are continuously being introduced in order to combat this discrimination, thus, demonstrating an effort on the part of government.⁴⁴ For example, lengthy and in some cases unfair proceedings,⁴⁴ particularly in lower level courts, remain a major problem for Serbian returnees pursuing their rights in court.⁴⁴ In addition, Serbs continue to be discriminated against in access to employment and in realizing other economic and social rights.^{citation needed} Also some cases of violence and harassment against Croatian Serbs continue to be reported.⁴⁴

The property laws allegedly favor Bosnian Croatians refugees who took residence in houses that were left unoccupied and unguarded by Serbs after Operation Storm.⁴⁴ Amnesty International's 2005 report considers one of the greatest obstacles to the return of thousands of Croatian Serbs has been the failure of the Croatian authorities to provide adequate housing solutions to Croatian Serbs who were stripped of their occupancy rights, including where possible by reinstating occupancy rights to those who had been affected by their discriminatory termination⁴⁴

The European Court of Human Rights decided against Croatian Serb Kristine Blečić, stripped him of occupancy rights after leaving his house in 1991 in Zadar.⁴⁵

References

^ census 2001
^ Orthodox Religion
^ FACTBOX - Brief history of Croatia's rebel Serb Krajina region | World | Reuters
^ ^a ^b FACTBOX - Brief history of Croatia's rebel Serb Krajina region | World | Reuters
^ Population of Croatia 1931-2001
^ Population of Croatia 1931-2001
^ Population of Croatia 1931-2001
^ Population of Croatia 1931-2001
^ Population of Croatia 1931-2001
^ Population of Croatia 1931-2001
^ Population of Croatia 1931-2001
^ Population of Croatia 1931-2001
^ "Croatia: Operation "Storm" - still no justice ten years on". Amnesty International (2005-08-04). Retrieved on 2008-09-29.
^ http://209.85.135.104/search?q=cache:VfKA_WG_LVwJ:www.rastko.org.yu/cms/files/books/46c3633ba55db.pdf+%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BA%D0%BE+%D0%B1%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%88%D1%82%D0%B0+%D0%91%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%83%D1%88&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&client=firefox-a
^ http://www.banjalukaonline.com/vijest_p_16503.html
^ http://www.sanu.ac.yu/Clanstvo/IstClan.aspx?arg=240,
^ http://www.nacional.hr/en/articles/view/42719/18/
^ http://www.gerila.com/knjige/autori/m/medakovic_dejan.htm
^ http://www.milutinmilankovic.com/biografija.html
^ http://www.skdprosvjeta.com/news.php?id=135
^ http://www.eparhija-gornjokarlovacka.hr/Episkop-Musicki-L.htm
^ http://www.antikvarne-knjige.com/biografije/orfelin/zaharija_orfelin_biografija.html
^ http://www.serbianorthodoxchurch.com/pages/s/pavle/biography-en.html
^ http://www.eparhija-dalmatinska.hr/Publikacije-Krka13-L.htm
^ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/475726/Svetozar-Pribicevic
^ http://www.ohiou.edu/~Chastain/rz/rajacic.htm
^ Josip Runjanin
^ http://jasnasekaric.com/home.html
^ http://www.skdprosvjeta.com/news.php?id=311
^ http://www.skdprosvjeta.com/news.php?id=311
^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0784884/
^ http://www.rastko.org.yu/knjizevnost/umetnicka/poezija/psolaric_gozba_c.html
^ http://jockbio.com/Bios/Stojakovic/Stojakovic_bio.html
^ http://www.rastko.org.yu/istorija/loza_nemanjica/fajfric-svloza_5.html
^ "Electrical pioneer Tesla honoured", BBC News (2006-07-10). Retrieved on 22 September 2008.
^ http://stmichael-soc.org/background.htm
^ The New Encyclopedia Britannica, Edition 1986 Reference: EB, Edition 1986, Macropedia, Vol. 29, page 1061 Entry: Yugoslavia, Croatia, History
^ Manfred and Anne Lehmann Foundation
^ Jasenovac
^ http://www1.yadvashem.org/odot_pdf/Microsoft%20Word%20-%205930.pdf
^ ^a ^b Croatia
^ http://www.hrt.hr/arhiv/oluja/950804/I040895141858.html
^ http://www.un.org/icty/babic/trialc/judgement/index.htm Sentencing judgement for Milan Babić
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Amnesty International (2005-09-14). "Croatia: European Court of Human Rights to consider important case for refugee returns". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-09-16.
^ NEGATIVNA PRESUDA EVROPSKOG SUDA U SLUČAJU KRISTINE BLEČIĆ IZ ZADRA

Contents