The association of Croatian POWs in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday stated that the participation of Bosniak member of the country's presidency, Sefik Dzaferovic in the Vukovar commemorations the day after he denied atrocities committed by the Army of BiH amounted to hypocrisy.

“Dzaferovic had the gall to go to Vukovar just one day after he negated war crimes committed by the Bosniak army in BiH against Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As members of the association of Croatian POWs of the Homeland War in BiH, we most sharply condemn the hypocrisy and evil statement by the Bosniak member of the BiH Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic,” the association said in a press release.

In Vukovar on Thursday, Dzaferovic paid tribute to all the victims and underscored that barbaric atrocities committed by the Serb side began in Vukovar and culminated with the genocide in Srebrenica. On Wednesday evening on the occasion of commemorating the establishment of the 4th Corps of the BiH Army in Jablanica, Dzaferovic said that no graves or camps were left behind that army.

“The human rights of all people, all cultural and historical landmarks, religious and other monuments were respected where the legal BiH authorities and Army was. The BiH army did not leave behind mass graves or camps,” Dzaferovic said.

About 100 metres from where the commemoration was held in Jablanica was the site of a prison camp for Croats in BiH in the Museum of the National Revolution where more than 600 Croats were detained during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There are even two judgements by BiH courts to that effect.

The association of ex-POWS underscored that the Bosniak army established 331 camps and detention centres for Croats during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. An estimated 14,500 Croats passed through these camps. Croats were harassed in them in exceptionally cruel ways, the association said.

It is necessary to point out Bugojno, a town in central Bosnia where a score of local Croat political and military officials had been detained in camps and then killed at a site outside the town. Four of those victims were exhumed this years, and the others are still unaccounted-for.

According to data provided by the ex-POWs, five Catholic churches were destroyed in Bugojno during the war by the BiH Army. Three clergy houses were completely razed to the ground. All the monuments were destroyed and Catholic cemeteries were desecrated in a wider Bugojno area. All surrounding villages where Croats lived were razed to the ground, they says.