Croatian Association of Prisoners in Serbian Concentration Camps ( hr, Hrvatsko društvo logoraša srpskih koncentracijskih logora) is an association of former prisoners in

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

n jails and prison camps during the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yugosl ...

. The organization was founded in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

in 1995 and began its work that same year. Its offices are located on

Ban Jelačić Square Ban Jelačić Square (; hr, Trg bana Jelačića) is the central square of the city of Zagreb, Croatia, named after Ban Josip Jelačić. The official name is Trg bana Jelačića. The square is colloquially called ''Jelačić plac''. It is locat ...

. In 2006, the association was admitted to the

World Veterans Federation The World Veterans Federation (WVF) is the world's largest international veteran organisation. The federation consists of 172 veterans organizations from 121 countries representing some 60 million veterans worldwide. It is a humanitarian organisa ...

. Its president is Danijel Rehak. The organization helps raise monuments, commemorates anniversaries relating to the war and also helps publish related books. In 2004 the association opened a centre in

Borovo Naselje Borovo Naselje ( sr-Cyrl, Борово Насеље) is a Vukovar borough located on the right bank of the Danube river in the Croatian region of Slavonia, 4 kilometers northwest of Vukovar town centre; elevation 90 m. The economy is based on ...

, whose aim is to research war crimes committed during the war. The centre was opened by deputy prime minister

Jadranka Kosor Jadranka Kosor (; born 1 July 1953) is a Croatian politician and former journalist who served as Prime Minister of Croatia from 2009 to 2011, having taken office following the sudden resignation of her predecessor Ivo Sanader. Kosor was the firs ...

and parliamentary speaker

Vladimir Šeks Vladimir Šeks (born 1 January 1943) is a Croatian lawyer and politician. He has been a representative in the Croatian Parliament since the nation's independence, and has held the posts of the Speaker of the Parliament, as well as Deputy Prime M ...

. Kosor served as the minister of Family Affairs, War Veterans and Intergenerational Solidarity, a ministry with which the association works closely. According to the Societies data, a total of 8,000 Croatian civilians and

POW A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...

s (a large number after the fall of Vukovar) went through Serb prison camps at

Sremska Mitrovica Sremska Mitrovica (; sr-Cyrl, Сремска Митровица, hu, Szávaszentdemeter, la, Sirmium) is a city and the administrative center of the Srem District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is situated on the left bank ...

Stajićevo Stajićevo (; hu, Óécska) is a village in Serbia. It is located in the Zrenjanin municipality, in the Central Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority (96.29%) and its population numbering 1,999 people (2002 ...

and elsewhere; some 300 people never returned from them.News article on Vukovar commemoration
, danas.rs; accessed 7 May 2015. A total of 4570 camp inmates started

legal action In legal terminology, a complaint is any formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons (see: cause of action) that the filing party or parties (the plaintiff(s)) believes are sufficient to support a claim against the party ...

in 2004 against the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia of Serbia and Montenegro (now the

Republic of Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hung ...

) for torture and abuse in the camps.

References

External links

* {{in lang, hr Croatian War of Independence Croatian veterans' organizations Organizations established in 1995