- Program Civil Society
- Program Area Special Initiatives
- Grant Amount $250,000
- Grant Period July 1, 2017–December 31, 2019
- Location Zagreb, Croatia
- Geographic Focus Croatia, Southern Europe
About this grant
The program goal is to build a democratic culture based on human rights and the rule of law in Croatia by stimulating Croatian society to deal with the legacy of war crimes and human rights abuses in Croatia and the region. To this end, Documenta will: 1) research and document human losses and collect oral histories; 2) facilitate public discussion and awareness of issues of dealing with the past; and 3) monitor war crimes trials in Croatia and the region. The grantee is also working with other groups across the region to establish a regional victims’ commission. During the past two years, the grantee conducted extensive interviews and analyzed documentation in order to identify 1,658 additional victims’ names, bringing the total documented victims in its database to 16,227; increased its library of recorded oral histories to 455 videos; organized local and national educational events related to the fate of missing persons and dealing with the past; participated in a regional coalition to establish a regional victims’ commission, including organizing local and national advocacy and awareness-raising events; and upgraded its website and information systems. Based in Zagreb, Documenta actively works with similar organizations in the Western Balkans.