Mesić sparked controversy on the issue of the Independent State of Croatia on another occasion during a speech in which he claimed that not all Croats fighting for the Independent State of Croatia were Ustashe supporters and claimed that most were fighting legitimately for Croatian independence . However , he described the persecutions of Serbs in Independent State of Croatia as genocide . Furthermore , in 2017 , he apologized for “ the imprudent statement ” and relativization of the crimes in Jasenovac
persecutions of Serbs
Persecution of Serbs in the Independent State of Croatia
Stjepan Mesić