Capital punishment in Croatia existed until 1991 when it was constitutionally abolished. The last execution had taken place under Yugoslavia in 1987.
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]
Source: SPSK Database
Executed person | Gender | Date of sentence | Date of execution | Place of execution | Crime | Method |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pavao Čekada | Male | 1960 | 29 March 1960 | Varaždin | war crimes | firing squad |
Stevo Ovčar | Male | 1960 | December 1960[7] | Osijek | murder of two policemen | |
Jovan Bugarski | Male | 1965 | 24 February 1965 | Zagreb | double murder | |
Kazimir Antić | Male | 6 November 1967 | 6 November 1968 | Rijeka | murder during robbery | |
Ferdo Dorić | Male | 1970 | 1970 | Karlovac | double murder | |
Kosta Dujić | Male | 27 November 1974 | 1976 | Split | double murder | |
Nikola Kević | Male | 1977 | 22 April 1978[1] | Osijek | double murder | |
Dušan Kosić | Male | 4 October 1983 | 29 January 1987 | Karlovac | multiple murder |