Gospic 1991: Veritas Says 129 Serbs Killed, 69 Missing
On the 35th anniversary, the Veritas Documentation and Information Center said at least 129 Serbs were killed in Gospic and its surroundings, and the remains of 69 are still being sought.
The Veritas Documentation and Information Center said today, October 17, on the 35th anniversary of the killings of Serb civilians in Gospic and its surroundings, that at least 129 Serbs were killed in the area in 1991. The remains of 69 of them are still being sought, so the question of missing Serb civilians in Croatia remains open three and a half decades later.
What Veritas says about the October 1991 killings
According to Veritas, 39 of the victims were women. Almost half of the killings were carried out in just three days, from October 16 to 18, 1991. Earlier Veritas statements cited at least 124 people killed, while the current figure is 129.
The remains of 60 victims have so far been found, identified and buried. The Veritas statement reads: “the remains of another 69 missing persons have not been found.” The organization points to that, together with the fact that those convicted have been free for years, as what hurts the victims’ families most.
According to Veritas, Serb civilians were taken from their houses and apartments in an organized manner by members of the Croatian army and police, mostly masked. Most of the victims, the statement says, were prominent Serbs.
What the verdicts covered
An indictment was brought against five members of the Croatian army and police, charging them with unlawful arrest and the killing of at least 50 people. Three of them were convicted with final effect in 2003 of a war crime against the civilian population in Gospic:
- Tihomir Oreskovic, 15 years in prison
- Mirko Norac, 12 years in prison
- Stjepan Grandic, 10 years in prison
Veritas notes that all three convicted men have been free for years. The organization also argues that the proceedings did not reach everyone who, by its account, took part in planning and carrying out the crime. Its appeal is that the international public and the competent institutions put pressure on the Croatian judiciary, so that all those responsible are prosecuted and the remains of the missing are found.
How many Serbs live in Gospic today
Veritas also cites census data. According to it, the town of Gospic had 9,025 residents in 1991, of whom 36 percent were ethnic Serbs and three percent declared themselves Yugoslavs.
The 2021 census recorded 412 ethnic Serbs in the Gospic area, which covers 50 settlements. That is 3.58 percent of a total of 11,502 residents.
