Capital punishment in Croatia

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Abolished for all offences
Abolished in practice
Retains capital punishment Death Penalty laws in Europe.svg
Europe holds the greatest concentration of abolitionist states (blue). Map current as of 2024
  Abolished for all offences
  Abolished in practice
  Retains capital punishment

Capital punishment in Croatia existed until 1991 when it was constitutionally abolished. The last execution had taken place there in 1987 when Croatia was still part of Yugoslavia.

Contents

Notable executions

In the time of Yugoslavia, several court cases resulted in capital punishment:

The last civilian execution in Croatia was done in 1987, [2] [3] [4] when a former truck driver Dušan Kosić was executed for the 1 March 1983 murder of his coworker Čedomir Matijević, his wife Slavica and their daughters Dragana (aged 2) and Snježana (8 months old). [2] [3] In the course of the investigation, Kosić provided the investigative judge and police officers a detailed admission to the murders, but retracted it during his later trial. [4] The District Court in Karlovac found him guilty and sentenced him to death on 4 October 1983. [2] [4] Kosić was executed by firing squad on January 29, 1987. [2] [3] [4]

Capital punishment was outlawed by article 21 of the 1990 Constitution of Croatia. [5]

Croatia is a signatory of Protocol 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights that abolishes the death penalty in all circumstances. The convention was signed on 3 July 2002, ratified on 3 February 2003, and came into force on 1 July 2003. [6]

Executions since 1959

Source: SPSK Database Archived 2020-10-31 at the Wayback Machine

Executed personGenderDate of sentenceDate of executionPlace of executionCrimeMethod
Pavao ČekadaMale196029 March 1960 Varaždin war crimes firing squad
Stevo OvčarMale6 October 1959 [7] December 1960 [8] Osijek murder of a police officer
Jovan BugarskiMale6 June 1965 [9] 24 February 1965 Zagreb double murder
Kazimir AntićMale6 November 19675 November 1968 [10] Rijeka murder during robbery
Ferdo DorićMale19701970 Karlovac double murder
Kosta DujićMale27 November 19741976 Split double murder
Nikola KevićMale197722 April 1978 [1] Osijek double murder
Dušan KosićMale4 October 1983 [11] 29 January 1987 [12] Karlovac multiple murder

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Majetić, Vanja (2005-11-26). "Smrtna kazna" (PDF). Vjesnik . pp. 39–42. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "TAJNA POSLJEDNJE SMRTNE KAZNE 'Karlovački monstrum nije imao milosti. Morali smo ga osuditi na strijeljanje'". Jutarnji list (in Croatian). 2013-07-29. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
  3. 1 2 3 "Deveterostruko ubojstvo najteži zločin". Glas Slavonije (in Croatian). 27 May 2009. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Za četverostruko ubojstvo i ubojici smrt". dalje.com (in Croatian). November 6, 2006. Archived from the original on 31 July 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  5. "2. Personal and Political Liberties and Rights - Article 21". The Constitution of the Republic of Croatia (consolidated text). Croatian Parliament. Archived from the original on 2013-09-26. Retrieved 2013-02-22.
  6. "Protocol No. 13 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, concerning the abolition of the death penalty in all circumstances". Archived from the original on 2013-12-12. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
  7. "Сеоски силеџија осуђен на смрт". Borba: 4. 7 October 1959.
  8. "Izvršena smrtna kazna nad ubojicom dvojice milicionera". Slobodna Dalmacija (4922): 3. 15 December 1960.
  9. "Јован Бугарски осуђен на казну смрти стрељањем". Borba: 2. 7 June 1964.
  10. "Погубљен Казимир Антић". Borba: 6. 6 November 1968.
  11. "Смртна казна четвороструком убици". Borba: 12. 5 October 1983.
  12. "Извршена смртна казна". Borba: 16. 30 January 1987.