Nemetin commemorates 34th anniversary of major prisoner exchange

Commemorations were held in Nemetin to mark the 34th anniversary of the largest prisoner exchange of the Croatian War of Independence. On August 14, 1992, 714 Croatian soldiers and civilians were released from Serbian concentration camps following months of captivity and torture.

Zdravko Komšić, president of the Croatian Association of Prisoners of Serbian Concentration Camps, noted that legal actions have been initiated against Serbia, though significant progress has yet to be made. He stated that once final judgments are obtained, the association intends to take the matter to the European Court of Justice in Strasbourg. Komšić also criticized the Serbian government for denying the existence of the camps, characterizing them as collection centers instead.

During the ceremony, Croatian officials, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ivan Anušić, honored the survivors and remembered those who never returned. Officials emphasized the ongoing importance of searching for the approximately 1,700 people still listed as missing from the conflict.