Gotovina and Markač: A year of freedom

“I declare, contrary to the opinion of judges Aguisa & Pocarda, acquittal”

(“… I izriče, uz suprotno mišljenje sudaca Agiusa i Pocarda, oslobađajuću presudu …”)

– Judge Theodor Meron

November 15, 2012: Bedtime prayers were different that night with my kids. We prayed for the release of two men I did not know personally, let alone my kids. Then came the questions: Who are they? Why are they in jail? Did they do something bad? My husband and I tried our best to explain to a 5 and 6 year old why they were in jail, even though we ourselves knew they should not be in jail. My husband then pulled up a picture of Ante Gotovina on his phone and showed them. Both my girls sighed and said “ohhhhh, we know him”.

My family and I travel to Croatia and Hercegovina every summer. I think it is safe to say that my kids have seen hundreds of posters and grafitti like the one above while travelling all over the country. Wherever you went in Croatia, whether it was in a small village, a big city or especially driving down the coast, there were pictures of Ante Gotovina, often seen with the slogan “Hero, not a criminal!” (Heroj, ne žločinac!) Over the course of his imprisonment, Gotovina’s fame grew. He was the face of the Homeland War (Domovinski rat), and Operation Storm (Operacija Oluja).

“Oluja” was the final chapter, the last battle of Domovinski Rat. It was strategically planned out by the Croatian Army (HV – Hrvatska Vojska) to attack a 630km frontage against the Republic of Serbian Krajina (Srpska Krajina), making it was the largest European Land Battle since World War II.

In 1991, the ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia) issued sealed indictments to the Croatian government seeking the arrest of Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač for war crimes. Gotovina was indicted together with Mladen Markač, a former commander of the special police of Croatia’s interior ministry. Gotovina and Markač (along with Ivan Čermak – who was released earlier) were accused of aiding and abetting the murders of 324 Krajina Serb civilians and prisoners of war by “shooting, burning and/or stabbing” them and forcibly displacing almost 90,000 Serb civilians. Gotovina was charged with five counts of crimes against humanity and four counts of violations of the laws or customs of war.

April 15, 2011: Hundreds of thousands of Croats around the world watched and listened in horror as Gotovina and Markač were sentenced to 24 years of imprisonment. The older folks who remember the war so vividly, including the war veterans, and the younger generation who have only read about the Croatian Independance War were equally shocked and saddened. So many questions remained unanswered, so many tears left unwiped, so many mothers without their sons and then this slap in the face. If Ante Gotovina is guilty, then we are all guilty! Gotovina’s lawyers vowed they would appeal the verdict.

The following day, Croats in major cities rallied against the government to protest the guilty verdict. 50,000 protesters in the main square in Zagreb carried Croatian flags and banners saying “I love Croatia, not the European Union,” as well as chanting “Treason” because of what organizers said was the failure of political leaders to protect the dignity of war veterans. Gotovina’s capture and trial was orchestrated by the Croatian Government and Croatian Intelligence so his arrest and conviction removed a serious obstacle in Croatia’s road to joining the European Union.

And so, as I was putting my kids to bed on November 15, hundreds of thousands of Croats were holding vigils, masses were held in churches and cathedrals throughout Croatia, anticipating and praying for the release of our generals. Before going to bed, I set my alarm to wake me at 3am EST. I needed to hear the verdict live. I was expecting the worst, but hoping for the best. I was watching a streamed program on Croatian news, so while the verdict was read in english, I was listenening to a Croatian translator. And then I heard those words: “I izriče, uz suprotno mišljenje sudaca Agiusa i Pocarda, oslobađajuću presudu”. OMG. Ante Gotovina is FREE. A few minutes later, the same words from Judge Meron’s mouth, only this time for Mladen Markač. OUR GENERALS ARE FREE!! I knew I didn’t hear wrong, because the translator let out a giggle, almost as if he was going to cry and his voice continued to tremble during the 4 minute verdict. I immediately went on social media and my newsfeed was flooded with images of our generals! It would be impossible to overstate the electric sense of anticipation that coursed through Croatia and diaspora that moment. I screamed. I cried sobbed. I ran upstairs to tell my husband who in a dead sleep opened his eyes and said “Hvala Ti Bože” (Thank You God).

The next 4 hours I was glued to my computer, anxiously awaiting news of their arrival and the preparation for the celebrations that would take place in Croatia. I was imagining what their arrival home after 7 years would be like and wished more than anything that I could be in Zagreb for their arrival!

I couldn’t wait to tell my kids that the two men they prayed for were finally free! As soon as they woke, I dressed them in their Croatian jerseys, called their school that they would not be there for the day and headed over to my parents. My parents still had no idea that our generals were free. As soon as I walked in with the kids, my parents said “They must be free” and immediately tears started to stream down their faces.

November 16, 2012 made Croatians proud and united again, just like they were during the war years. The release of Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač was more than about two army generals spending decades in jail. It was about the homeland war. It was about the mothers that lost their sons defending their homeland. It was about the children who were left orphans. It was about Vukovar, Škabrnja, Dubrovnik, Livno, Zadar, Kupres, Osijek. It was for the 2000 war veterans who have taken their lives since 1995. It is for the ones that still suffer daily in silence with post traumatic stress syndrome. The release of Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač changed Croatia’s history books, once and for all. The Croatian Homeland War was clean. The Croatian Homeland War was valid. Croatians were NOT the aggressors and the Croatian Army liberated our country honorably.