OSCE - Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
OSCE - Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
09/27/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/27/2022 11:57
OSCE Presence organizes study visit to Croatia for Albanian institutions on missing persons from communist past
The OSCE Presence in Albania organized a study visit to Croatia for Albanian institutions dealing with the issue on the missing persons from the communist past, September 2022. (OSCE) Photo details
Croatia's vast experience in the investigation and adjudication of cases of enforced disappearances can be useful to Albania's authorities in advancing with the issue of identification and recovery of remains of missing persons from the Communist past.
With this aim, from 21 to 23 September 2022, the OSCE Presence in Albania organized a study visit to Croatia of representatives of key relevant institutions, such as the General Prosecutor's Office, the Authority for Information on Former State Security Documents, the Forensics Institute and the Scientific Police.
The programme included a visit to the Ministry of Veterans' Affairs and the Croatian Institute of Forensic Medicine and Criminology. Addressing the meeting at the Ministry, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Veterans' Affairs of Croatia, Tomo Medved, offered his institution's unreserved support to the Albanian authorities in their efforts to make progress with the identification and recovery of missing persons' remains. Officials of the Ministry informed the Albanian delegation of the Croatian model for the search of the missing persons, whereas representatives of the Croatian Ministry of Interior, Zagreb County Prosecutor's Office and the Croatian State Archives informed of their roles in the searching process. The visit also served the Albanian experts, including the ones from the Forensics Institute and the Scientific Police, to liaise with their Croatian counterparts for future co-operation in the issue of search for the missing persons.
The visit was financed by Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and was organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania in collaboration with the Croatian Ministry of Veterans' Affairs, KAS and the International Commission on Missing Persons.