Human rights in Croatia

Reporters are often sued by politicians for defamation. Croatia was named a country with one of the most lawsuits filed to silence journalists in the EU.{{Cite web |title=CROATIA 2022 |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/europe-and-central-asia/croatia/report-croatia/ |access-date=10 April 2023 |website=Amnesty International}} There have also been cases of physical violence against reporters, such as when two reporters documenting an Easter Vigil were attacked by an unknown individual.{{Cite web |title=FREEDOM IN THE WORLD 2021 Croatia |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/croatia/freedom-world/2021 |access-date=10 April 2023 |website=Freedom House}}

Although abortion is legal in Croatia up to 10 weeks after contraception, and has exceptions for women who have been pregnant for more than 10 weeks. However, the country is somewhat split on the issue, with some conservative groups calling for a ban. In one instance, a woman who passed the 10 week deadline was deprived of an abortion by four clinics, even though her fetus had a brain tumor, leading to protests.{{Cite news |last=Reed |first=Betsy |date=11 May 2022 |title=Contentious Croatian abortion goes ahead after medical officials step in |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/11/contentious-croatian-abortion-goes-ahead-after-medical-officials-step-in |access-date=10 April 2023}}

Croatia has been continuously criticized by human rights groups for refusing migrants. Many migrants seeking to get into Croatia are sent back to Bosnia and Herzegovina instead. In some cases, police used violence against migrants.

In 2021, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Croatia violated the European Convention on Human Rights while sending a family from Afghanistan to Serbia. In the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 22,000 refugees were granted Temporary Protection Status by Croatia.

In December 2023, Croatia was found to have infringed upon the rights of an individual (a stateless man), when they forcibly expelled him from the country without providing any justification for their decision. As a result, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of the victim and ordered Croatia to provide compensation for the violation.{{Cite web |title=Croatia Violated Rights of Stateless Person, European Court Rules |url=https://balkaninsight.com/2023/12/05/croatia-violated-rights-of-stateless-person-european-court-rules/}}

Roma have been discriminated against in Croatia, and there have been violent attacks against them. Croatia has been criticized because Roma are discriminated against when getting housing, employment, and healthcare. In a 2013 poll, 44% of Croatians had prejudice against Roma. According to the UN, the Roma population of Croatia is 30,000-40,000, equivalent to roughly 1% of the population.{{Cite news |last=Milekic |first=Sven |date=3 April 2015 |title=Roma Suffer Racial Discrimination in Croatia, UN Says |work=Balkan Insight |url=https://balkaninsight.com/2015/04/03/un-committee-concerned-on-roma-position-in-croatia/ |access-date=10 April 2023}}

{{main|LGBT rights in Croatia}}Homosexuality was legalised in 1977. The age of consent was equalised in 1998. Homosexuals are not banned from military service. In 2003, the Croatian government passed laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment and education, the distribution of homophobic materials, and defamation of homosexuality and homosexuals. Limited scope of rights were conferred upon same-sex couples after three years of cohabitation in 2003, but registered unions were not permitted until 2014. Since then Croatia provides all marital rights except joint adoption for registered and non-registered same-sex partnerships.

In November 2010, the European Commission's annual progress report on Croatia's candidacy stated that Croatia's numerous homophobic incidents are worrying since inquisitions need to make further efforts in combating hate crimes.[http://www.mvpei.hr/.../101110_Izvijesce_o_napretku_HR_za_2010.pdf] {{dead link|date=January 2018}} The European Parliament, as stands in its 2010 resolution, “expresses its concern at the resentment against the LGBTQ minority in Croatia, evidenced most recently by homophobic attacks on participants in the Gay Pride parade in Zagreb; urges the Croatian authorities to condemn and prosecute political hatred and violence against any minority; invites the Croatian Government to implement and enforce the Anti-Discrimination Law”.{{cite web |title=Texts adopted - Wednesday, 10 February 2010 - 2009 progress report on Croatia - P7_TA(2010)0023 |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&reference=P7-TA-2010-0023&language=EN |access-date=10 January 2018 |website=Europarl.europa.eu}}

The following chart shows Croatia’s ratings since 1991 in the Freedom in the World reports, published annually by Freedom House. A rating of 1 is "free"; 7, "not free".{{cite web | url = https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/2024-02/Country_and_Territory_Ratings_and_Statuses_FIW_1973-2024.xlsx | title = Country and Territory Ratings and Statuses, FIW 1973-2024 | access-date = 21 December 2024 | author = Freedom House | author-link = Freedom House | year = 2024 | format = XLS}}{{ref|a|1}}

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• Human trafficking in Croatia
• Internet censorship and surveillance in Croatia
• Political prisoners in Yugoslavia
• Croatia in the European Union

:1.{{note|a}}Note that the "Year" signifies the "Year covered". Therefore the information for the year marked 2008 is from the report published in 2009, and so on.

:2.{{note|b}}As of January 1.

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20120615185346/http://www.hho.hr/english Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20040802034757/http://www.ljudskaprava-vladarh.hr/ Office for Human Rights of the Croatian Government]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20061012122444/http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/croatia/document.do?id=92B529C01B432AE380256F5C0047BB08 Amnesty International USA - Croatia's human rights violations]
• [http://hrw.org/europe/croatia.php Human Rights Watch on Croatia]
• [http://hrw.org/reports/2004/icty1004/ Justice at Risk: War Crimes Trials in Former Yugoslavia]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100314063935/http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/eur/136025.htm 2009 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Croatia], released by the US DoS Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor on March 11, 2010
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210311/http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/ERC/democracy/1993_hrp_report/93hrp_report_eur/Croatia.html Croatia Human Rights Practices], by the US Department of State in 1993
• [https://wcd.coe.int/wcd/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1636837 Report by T. Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, following his visit to Croatia from 6 to 9 April 2010]
• [http://www.hri.ca/fortherecord2001/vol5/croatiachr.htm Croatia - Commission on Human Rights] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927195221/http://www.hri.ca/fortherecord2001/vol5/croatiachr.htm |date=2007-09-27 }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304024519/http://www.usemb.se/human/1996/europe/croatia.html Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Croatia], by the US Department of State in 1996
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070209073304/http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/192/ Censorship in Croatia] - IFEX

{{Croatia topics|state=collapsed}}

{{Human rights in Europe}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Human Rights In Croatia}}

Croatia

Category:Politics of Croatia