Kolinda stated: Croats should be tried in Croatia

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, who fiercely criticized Zoran Milanović regarding the Lex Perković case, stated today in Rijeka that Croatian citizens should be tried in Croatia, reports Patria.

Grabar Kitarović stated that the indictments against Croats in Orašje resonated extremely negatively, that Prime Minister Andrej Plenković sent positive messages and support from the Republic of Croatia for BiH during his visit to BiH two days prior, and that a situation was then created that unsettled the Croatian population in BiH, which Croatia must take into account.

In Rijeka, she emphasized that the Republic of Croatia must take this into account, as well as the protection of every Croatian citizen. In addition to BiH citizenship, the arrested members of the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) also hold Croatian citizenship, and some hold ranks in the Croatian Army.

Grabar-Kitarović also pointed out that Croatia is primarily responsible for its citizens and that, if there is suspicion of a war crime, Croatian state bodies should take over these cases. 

Responding to repeated questions from journalists about whether she knew about the arrests in BiH and the indictments against HVO members and HV officers, the president said that the general issue of indictments in BiH is known, but she emphasized that she did not know the intention behind last week's arrests in Orašje, nor did the Croatian state leadership know in advance, and the arrests were a great surprise, writes Index.