The Humanitarian Law Fund (HLF) has taken a stand and demanded that the institutions of Serbia prosecute the officers of the former JNA who were directly involved in the crime at Ovčara near Vukovar. The organization also urged these institutions to stop supporting war criminals and to help more decisively in the search for missing persons.

Despite a verdict, JNA Major Veselin Šljivančanin, a member of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party’s Central Committee, has not faced any consequences and has even appeared in the media as an analyst. The HLF highlighted the need for Serbia to pay attention to the victims of this crime and publicly express reverence for their families. The organization suggested that Serbia should begin by mapping out camps where civilians and Croatian forces were imprisoned, participating in commemorative events, and opening up archives from the JNA to gather information from those familiar with events at Ovčara.

Following up on this case, after the final verdict was delivered in Serbia, the HLC filed lawsuits on behalf of families who lost loved ones at Ovčara for compensation. Over several years of proceedings, 11 cases were concluded in favor of plaintiffs. However, despite their efforts, there are still obstacles preventing decisive actions to establish full responsibility for this crime in Ovčara, find missing persons and support victims.