GLAVAS: PROSECUTION SEEKS DETENTION OVER WITNESS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000884 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR DICARLO; EUR/SCE HOH, PFEUFFER; S/WCI WILLIAMSON, BERG; L/EUR JOHNSON; INR MORIN DEPT PLEASE PASS TO NSC BRAUN E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/20/2016 TAGS: PGOV KAWC HR WAR CRIMES SUBJECT: GLAVAS: PROSECUTION SEEKS DETENTION OVER WITNESS INTIMIDATION REF: ZAGREB 680 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Political Officer Tom Selinger for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) . ¶1. (U) Chief State Prosecutor Mladen Bajic requested on July 20 that the Zagreb County Court order the detention of MP Branimir Glavas to prevent him from intimidating witnesses in an ongoing war crimes investigation that implicates him in the torture and murder of Serb civilians in 1991 (reftels). After two witnesses testified in an investigative hearing on July 17, the Osijek kingpin posted their full testimony to his US-based website (www.branimirglavas.com) along with documents questioning their credibility as witnesses. After the web posting, the investigative judge in the case had both the defense and prosecution sign a binding non-disclosure agreement to prevent future incidents. The judge declined Bajic's detention request on July 21, saying this agreement provided adequate protection. We expect Bajic to immediately appeal this decision and to submit additional information to support his request. "VISITS" TO FUTURE WITNESSES -------------- ¶2. (C) In a 21 July meeting, Bajic told PolOff that Osijek Police Chief Vladimir Faber has reported "visits" by Glavas supporters to witnesses scheduled to testify in the investigation. Glavas is too clever to resort to overt threats or violence, but according to Bajic the message of both the website and the social calls is clear: Glavas and friends will not let any witness' participation in the investigation go unnoticed (and who knows what could happen after that). ¶3. (C) Bajic told PolOff he will seek a court order to remove Glavas' site from the web on the grounds that he is using it to interfere with a criminal investigation. He will then submit this to US courts through mutual legal assistance channels. In the meantime, he plans to send a letter to the Embassy requesting that the internet provider (Add2Net Inc in La Habra, CA) voluntarily remove Glavas' site from its server. BRADTKE