Remains of at least 11 victims from World War II uncovered

The Directorate for Detainees and Missing Persons of the Ministry of Croatian Veterans is conducting field research from April 7 to 9 at three locations in the Split-Dalmatia County, where the remains of victims murdered by Yugoslav communists during World War II and the post-war period have been found.

The remains of two people were exhumed from individual graves near Vrgorac and Imotski on Tuesday, while the remains of nine people were exhumed from Medviđa Cave on Biokovo Mountain near the town of Zagvozd on Wednesday.

Speaking at the site of the mass grave Deputy Prime Minister and Veterans’ Affairs Minister Tomo Medved thanked everyone who cooperated in uncovering the grave sites. He also emphasized that Croatia will persist in finding all of the missing from the Homeland War and the Second World War: "Even today, in 2026, we are exposing the crimes committed against Croats during and after World War II. This is our debt and our obligation, we will be persistent in this effort, and we will never stop."

Minister Medved added that the victims were bound with wire, murdered and thrown into a pit - the entrance to which was subsequently rigged with explosives: “These are victims of partisan-communist crimes who are presumed to have been killed at the end of World War II. What has been established beyond any doubt is that all of them were bound with wire. According to the information and testimonies collected, among the victims are three Franciscan friars from Široki Brijeg.”

Medved went on to note that after the exhumation, a thorough forensic investigation will be conducted, and that everything possible will be done in a bid to identify the victims through blood samples taken from living relatives.

Minister Medved also announced another major step forward in relations with Slovenia, noting that the remains of the first 500 Croatian WWII victims exhumed on the territory of Slovenia will be transferred to Croatia in the coming weeks, where they will finally be buried with dignity.

Over the past ten years Croatia has investigated more than 630 locations throughout the country. Exhumations have been conducted at more than 90 locations in 16 counties, and the remains of a total of 2 187 victims have been exhumed. So far 2 046 of them have received a dignified funeral.

Source: HRT