Stickers confirm that Serb are underprivileged citizens

BELGRADE - The stickers with the Croatian flag used to cover the bilingual signs on government buildings in Vukovar, which were put there by members of an association of war veterans, confirm that Serbs are underpriviliged citizens in Croatia and that the law does not protect them, head of the Coalition of Refugee Associations Miodrag Linta said on Saturday.

It is particularly concerning that the Croatian police calmly observed the unconstitutional and illegal activities by then veterans, Linta stressed.

The Croatian Serbs could have expected that, seeing as Croatia's top officials said in Okucani two days earlier, at an event marking the 19th anniversary of Operation Flash, that it was a great day for Croatia, one that marked a victory and successful defence of its freedom and democracy, he noted.

They did not mention the Serb victims and the constitutional and legal obligation by the government to prosecute the ones responsible for killing 283 Serbs, including 57 women and 9 children, during the operation, he pointed out.

Linta called on the European Commission, and Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding in particular, to ask Croatia to follow its Constitution and law on national minority rights from 2002, which states that the Serbs have the right to use their language and the Cyrillic script in all municipalities and cities where they constitute more than 33 percent of the population.

According to the results of the 2011 census, the Serbs are entitled to those rights in 21 municipalities and 2 cities, Vukovar and Vrbovsko.

Photo Tanjug, F. Kraincanic (archive photo)