Ljubica Štefan, a prominent Croatian historian, passed away on March 17, 2002. She was honored as a Righteous Among Nations by the State of Israel for her courageous work during the wars in the Balkans, where she meticulously documented crimes committed against Croats, Bosniaks, and Albanians. One of her most notable contributions is encapsulated in her book published in 1999, titled 'For Croatia with Truth and Facts'. In this work, she highlighted atrocities and evidence of genocide perpetrated against the Croatian people and other ethnic groups by Serbian forces during the conflicts that erupted in the early 1990s.

Between 1991 and 1992, Štefan undertook significant risks by secretly gathering archival materials in Belgrade that detailed these crimes, which she then brought to Zagreb for further analysis and dissemination. Her efforts included investigating the dark history of places like Jasenovac and scrutinizing influential figures like Cardinal Stepinac, revealing complex narratives of complicity and resistance in wartime. Her bibliography includes several critical books, one of which is 'The Serbian Orthodox Church and Fascism', where she analyzed the church's stance during World War II and its ties to Nazi Germany, further illuminating the relationship between religion and nationalism in the context of wartime atrocities.

Štefan’s work remains influential within Croatian historiography and contributes to the ongoing discourse about national identity, memory, and justice in post-war societies. Her ability to blend historical inquiry with moral imperatives has carved a niche for her as a crucial figure in understanding Croatia's difficult 20th century, as she sought to confront narratives that aimed to portray the Croatian nation in a negative light, echoing her conclusion that the myth of Croatian genocidal tendencies was propagated by specific interests, including those linked to the Serbian Orthodox Church.