UNHCR Office and OSCE Mission to Croatia concerned with postponed eviction in Vojnic

ZAGREB, 3 August 2004 - The UNHCR Office and OSCE Mission to Croatia expressed concern today at reports that the execution of a 2001 court verdict to vacate the home of an elderly Serb returnee in the town of Vojnic, Central Croatia, has once again been postponed.

Ms. Dragica Karamarkovic (75) applied for repossession of her property in January 1999, returned to Croatia in April 2002, and has since been living with friends awaiting the repossession of her home. Vojnic Municipal Court issued a verdict ordering the temporary user to leave the property within 15 days on 19 July 2001, conditional on the provision of alternative housing to the occupant. The occupant has since refused all housing solutions offered to him and to this day, with the unsuccessful eviction attempt on 26 July 2004, the court has failed to vacate the property.

"Such delays in the execution of court verdicts still hamper the refugee return process in Croatia," said UNHCR Representative Catherine Bertrand and OSCE Mission Head Ambassador Peter Semneby in a joint statement.

"While we regret the delay, we now expect that the property will be promptly returned to the owner in September, in accordance with the court order."

They added that such valid court verdicts should be enforced as soon as possible, not only in Vojnic but throughout Croatia.

In December 2003, the Government promised to resolve all 523 pending cases of illegal occupancy by 30 June 2004. To date, 55 illegal occupancy cases remain to be solved including the property of Ms. Karamarkovic.