Published 01.10.2025. | Nina Sauerborn
We hosted the new British Ambassador to Croatia, Javed Patel
It was with great pleasure that we hosted the British Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia, H.E. Mr. Javed Patel, at the premises of the Centre for Peace, Non-Violence and Human Rights – Osijek.
During the visit, we exchanged experiences and reflections on topics related to human rights, peace and dealing with the past. Special emphasis was placed on the recent evacuation of British and Croatian citizens from the Gaza Strip, where we shared challenges, experiences and lessons from crisis situations through open and constructive discussion.
We also touched on the topic of the Homeland War and the way in which the Centre has been monitoring the consequences of the war in Croatia for decades. We discussed the changes that have occurred since our beginnings in the early 1990s to the present day – both in our approach to victims and in institutional responses to war crimes. In this context, we emphasized the importance of long-term monitoring of war crimes trials as part of the broader struggle for justice and reconciliation.
We also presented to the Ambassador our current work, which includes monitoring and documenting cases of discrimination in Croatian society – especially against members of the Serbian community, LGBTIQ+ youth and foreign workers. Our efforts to promote gender equality were also in focus, through initiatives such as the Night March in Osijek, which highlights women’s rights and the fight against gender-based violence, as well as the advancement of women in Croatian society.
In a warm and open atmosphere, we also discussed how the approach to the topics of justice, human rights and peacebuilding is changing in Croatia, and how the Center today, with more than three decades of work, considers the consequences of war in the context of newer social challenges.
We thank Ambassador Patel for his visit and interest in our work – we feel honored and will be honored to continue our cooperation in the future! We hope to have the opportunity to see Mr. Patel at the Krunoslav Sukić Peace Award Ceremony, which will be held this year in December.
