An anonymous website www.registarbranitelja.com was setup on Tuesday evening containing a search engine at which war veterans could be found by their first and last names, an identification number and details about their units. The website also includes a text explaining why the register has been made public.
The anonymous creators of the website said the register is incomplete, adding that the website was set up, taking account of the public interest. They also said that by publishing the register they "relieved the burden from the government" which is expected to make the register public anyway.
The national broadcasting network HTV reported in its prime time news that the register did not include members of the Interior Ministry and that it is believed that the register had been stolen from the Defence Ministry. HTV also said that by typing in the names of homeland war veterans, details about their units and identification numbers, one can obtained classified information.
The website became unavailable shortly after being set up.
The president of the HVIDRA war veterans association, Josip Djakic condemned the publication of the register, stressing that he had not seen it as he could not enter the site. Clearly upset, Djakic told Hina, the setting up of the website was illegal and that the perpetrators must be criminally prosecuted.
Valentino Rajkovic of the state body coordinating war veterans associations also condemned the publication of the register but declined to comment on it any further before discussing the matter with representatives of other war veterans associations.
The president of the association of families of missing and detained homeland war veterans, Ivan Psenica, said the publication of part of the register was illegal. "We are for the publication of the register in principle, but it first must be greenlighted by homeland war veterans," Psenica said adding that in his opinion most of the veterans oppose the publication of the register in the strongest terms.
