Act on Missing Persons in the Homeland War

The Law provides that persons who went missing in the Homeland War between 1991 and 1995, including those who disappeared, are presumed to be alive until their burial place is identified or until they are declared dead following proof of their death. It also provides that family members of a missing person have the right to learn about their whereabouts or to find their mortal remains, and also to learn about the circumstances of their disappearance or death. The Ministry for Croatian Homeland War veterans is required to provide them with available information regarding the progress and results of the tracing of their family members. The Law further provides that no one may be subjected to violence, threats or any form of intimidation for the purposes of seeking information about one’s family member. The Law defines a person missing in the Homeland War as a person about whom family members have no news, according to reliable data on the disappearance in the context or in relation to the Homeland War in the territory of the Republic of Croatia, and who at the time of disappearance had Croatian nationality or had a registered permanent or temporary residence in the territory of the Republic of Croatia. The Law also governs the exhumation of graves and the process for the identification of remains.