Date: September 24, 1997
Author: Valentina Krčmar, Director, Bedem Ljubavi – Mothers for Peace
Addressed to: Dr. I. Hrvoić, Canadian-Croatian Congress, Toronto Chapter
View the Original Letter: krcmar book 3_Part14_Part36.pdf
About This Letter
On September 24, 1997, Valentina Krčmar, writing as Director of Mothers for Peace (Bedem Ljubavi), addressed this formal letter to Dr. I. Hrvoić of the Canadian-Croatian Congress. The document stands as both an appeal for justice and a call to collective responsibility within the Croatian-Canadian community, urging immediate legal action against the Serbian Red Cross for its complicity in war crimes — particularly those committed in Vukovar.
Krčmar begins with a direct and urgent tone, identifying the Serbian Red Cross as an organization that had crossed the boundary from humanitarian neutrality into participation in atrocity:
“We are formally requesting that you, as an official representative of the Canadian-Croatian community in Toronto, commence procedures to charge the Serbian Red Cross with the complicity in the war crimes, especially in the region of Vukovar.”
She references the 1992 report “Croatia: Hospitals on Target” (CIR), which documented the Yugoslav Army and Serbian Red Cross overseeing the evacuation of Vukovar’s hospital — an operation that led directly to the torture and murder of more than 250 patients, later discovered in a mass grave guarded by UN forces.
“According to Croatia: Hospitals on Target (CIR, 1992), the Yugoslav Army and the Serbian Red Cross were in charge of the evacuation of the patients from Vukovar’s hospital. As we all know, over 250 patients were tortured and killed, and their mass grave was guarded by the UN.”
Krčmar’s words cut through bureaucratic restraint. She argues that this was not an isolated act of negligence but proof of systemic criminality, connecting it to similar patterns of ethnic cleansing and collaboration seen in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Since we have known that the Serbian Red Cross has been involved in the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, this document has proven to us that they were also involved in the war crimes in Croatia, not just Bosnia and Hercegovina.”
Her letter closes with a demand for swift action — a hallmark of her leadership style — insisting that the Congress respond so that her organization could inform its members of the next steps.
“We think that urgent action is needed. We are requesting that you inform us of your decision as soon as possible so that we can inform our membership about the further action.”
This letter exemplifies Krčmar’s tireless pursuit of justice and her willingness to challenge powerful institutions — even humanitarian ones — when they failed their moral duty. It bridges activism and accountability, showing her as both organizer and witness, ensuring that crimes like those of Vukovar’s hospital massacre would not be erased under the banner of neutrality.
