BOSNIA: KARADZIC FAMILY TRAVEL DOCUMENTS SEIZED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SARAJEVO 000067 SIPDIS SIPDIS EUR (DICARLO),EUR/SCE (HOH, FOOKS, STINCHCOMB),S/WCI (WILLIAMSON, LAVINE),DOJ FOR OPDAT (ALEXANDRE),INL (KIMMEL); NSC FOR BRAUN, EUCOM FOR BURDICK E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/11/2018 TAGS: PGOV KAWC PREL BK SUBJECT: BOSNIA: KARADZIC FAMILY TRAVEL DOCUMENTS SEIZED REF: SARAJEVO 2736 Classified By: CDA Judith Cefkin for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) ¶1. (U) Acting on a request from the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY),High Representative Lajcak early on January 10 ordered the seizure of travel and identification documents from Radovan Karadzic's immediate family. RS police carried out the order the same day against Karadzic's wife Lilijana, son Aleksandar (aka Sasa),daughter Sonja, and son-in-law Branislav Jovicevic at their residence in Pale, near Sarajevo. ¶2. (C) Howard Tucker, the Head of ICTY, told us that the order from The Hague was conveyed on January 9 and that it constituted a "natural progression" from the inclusion of the Karadzic family on the EU visa ban list and asset seizures by the state government (Reftel). ¶3. (C) At the January 11 meeting of the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board Ambassadors, High Representative Miroslav Lajcak briefed on the order to seize Karadzic family travel documents. The passports of Karadzic family had been seized and their Bosnian identification documents had been confiscated and replaced with temporary identification with the notation that no foreign travel is allowed. Lajcak reiterated that he had made the order at the request of the ICTY and had directed the RS Police to effect the seizures because it would have raised political difficulties for state level law enforcement agencies. In response to a question from the Charge, Lajcak stated that OHR was unaware if Karadzic family members possessed travel documents issued by other countries. ¶4. (C) Russian Ambassador Konstantin Shuvalov asked about a press line OHR had prepared in response to a question as to why domestic authorities had not taken this measure. OHR's response was that the BiH Criminal code foresees the possibility, but that OHR had wanted to ensure that the measures were enforced immediately. Lajcak clarified that BiH law only allows for a seizure for 72 hours which is why OHR had chosen to act. Shuvalov accepted this explanation and asked that the press lines be amended to reflect this. Lajcak also noted that the seizures were a legitimate measure given ongoing investigations of the Karadzic family and the Bosnian and EU punitive measures already in place against the individuals. Lajcak added that he had consulted with RS PM Milorad Dodik and RS Interior Minister Stanislav Cadjo before issuing the order. CEFKIN