Instead of prosecuting crimes against Serbs, Croatian political figures protested the judgment against General Ante Gotovina (sentenced to 24 years in prison by the ICTY), Amnesty International says in its annual report on the state of human rights across the world.

In the section on Croatia, AI criticizes the slow prosecution of crimes committed by the Croatian army during the 1991-1995 war, as well discrimination of ethnic and sexual minorities.

The EU continued monitoring the implementation of Croatia's commitments to tackle impunity for crimes under international law committed during the 1991-1995 war.

Some efforts were undertaken by the president and the judicial authorities to deal with the wartime past, but there was little action by the government, so progress in prosecution of crimes was slow, says AI.

Even though specialized courts in Osijek, Rijeka and Split were made operational, in addition to the existing court in Zagreb, only five final judgments were delivered in the last year. Investigations of around 370 alleged perpetrators were ongoing and there were around 540 cases at a pre-investigative stage.

AI criticizes the fact that the 1993 Criminal Code continued to be applied in these cases, although it did not accord with international standards, because it lacked clear definitions of crucial criminal concepts such as the principle of command responsibility, war crimes of sexual violence and crimes against humanity.

Its application resulted in impunity for many crimes, notes AI.

The authorities failed to provide victims of crimes under international law and their families with access to reparation, and survivors of crimes of sexual violence were denied access to psychosocial assistance and other support. Many of their perpetrators enjoyed impunity, says AI.