Government condemn Serbian court decision on Mihailovic

The Croatian government on Thursday assessed that the Serbian High Court's decision to rehabilitate WWII war criminal and Chetnik leader Dragoljub Draza Mihailovic is a wrong and unacceptable attempt at revising history, adding that the Chetnik movement was on the side of evil and that no court decision can change that.

"The decision by the Belgrade High Court to rehabilitate war criminal Draza Mihailovic is wrong and unacceptable. The Croatian government strongly condemns such an act of historical revisionism because the Chetnik movement, led by Draza Mihailovic, was on the side of evil and injustice, collaborated with Fascist and Nazi forces, was defeated in World War II and no court decision can change those facts," the government said in a press release.

The government concludes that rehabilitating war criminals is in contradiction of anti-fascist values, democracy and cooperation on which modern Europe is founded.

The Anti-Fascist League of Croatia, a recently established association that promotes values of anti-fascism, also condemned the decision to rehabilitate Mihailovic, stating that it was morally and legally dubious.

In a press release the association underscored that the court ruling practically declared Mihailovic innocent and that his collaborationist and criminal Chetnik organisation had been completely rehabilitated.

"The decision represents a direct act of historical revisionism and negates the nature and moral choice of the true anti-fascist struggle of the peoples of the former Yugoslavia against occupying forces and domestic collaborationists, including the Chetniks," the press release says.

The Anti-Fascist League consists of Documenta - Centre for Dealing with the Past, the Serb National Council, the Alliance of Anti-Fascist Fighters and Anti-Fascists of Croatia, Jewish associations, a Roma association and other civil society organisations.

(Text: Hina)

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