In Belgrade, the war crimes trial of four Croatian Air Force pilots accused of firing rockets at Serbian refugee columns in August 1995 began in the War Crimes Department of the High Court of Belgrade. The accused pilots, Zdenko Radulj, Željko Jelenić, Vladimir Mikac, and Danijel Borović, are being tried in absentia as they have been unavailable to Serbian judicial authorities since the investigation began in 2021. The shelling incident took place on the Bosanski Petrovac road during the Croatian war of independence, which lasted from March 1991 to November 1995. The conflict arose after a referendum on independence and escalated into armed conflicts between different ethnic groups in the region.
The Croatian war of independence began after the Croatian parliament declared independence in response to the Republic of Serb Krajina (RSK) announcing its intention to align with Serbia. As a result, armed forces from RSK began expelling Croats and other non-Serbs from territories under their control. In August 1995, the Croatian Army, along with the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, initiated Operation Storm to reclaim occupied territories and end the siege of the Bosnian city of Bihać. This military action led to approximately 200,000 Serbs fleeing towards Serbia, during which refugee convoys were targeted by the accused pilots with rockets in two separate incidents.
Human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch condemned the attacks and abuses carried out during Operation Storm, which resulted in civilian casualties. The two Balkan countries, Croatia and Serbia, have had tense relations for some time, with recent incidents exacerbating the situation. Croatian politician Tonino Picula criticised the Serbian government for failing to respond to the demands of protesters and noted an undeclared state of emergency in Serbia. Relations between the two countries have been strained, with few official state visits between their leaders and recent diplomatic tensions leading to the recall of ambassadors.
In July 2022, Croatia banned Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić from a private visit to the Jasenovac memorial, seen as a provocative move by the Croatian leadership. This incident further strained relations between the two countries, with Serbia’s Foreign Ministry responding with a note of protest that was not well received by Croatia. Tensions between Croatia and Serbia have also been exacerbated by recent political events, with different perspectives on historical events and competing national narratives contributing to the strained relations between the two countries. The outcome of the ongoing war crimes trial in Belgrade may have further implications for the diplomatic relations between Croatia and Serbia.
