More than 2,500 people are still listed as missing in connection with the conflicts that affected Croatia between 1991 and 1995. Their families have filed tracing requests and reports on death with the ICRC or with national Red Cross societies in the region and worldwide.

This article discusses sanctions for and the prevention of mass violence by non-state perpetrators. The author's reflections are based on case studies of four former Serbian militiamen who took part in mass violence in the former Yugoslavia. He argues that it is of the utmost importance to consider the typical grassroots relationship between these local players and their own community, so as to maximize the effect of sanctions and perhaps prevent further offences by potential future perpetrators.

The article analyses problems with which the Republic of Croatia, as a country in transition, has to contend during war crimes proceedings.

The repression of war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia is principally the remit of the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague, which focuses on the most high-profile cases. For several years, however, national war crimes tribunals have been set up in Croatia and Serbia to complement the work begun in The Hague. The ICRC regularly visits individuals charged and sentenced by these courts and, in certain cases, arranges for the families to visit their detained relatives. – Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No. 2, 2006