PARLIAMENT ALLOWS DENTENTION OF CONVICTED MP WAR

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000259 SENSITIVE SIPDIS FOR EUR/SCE, EUR/PPD, AND S/WCI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV KAWC HR BA SUBJECT: PARLIAMENT ALLOWS DENTENTION OF CONVICTED MP WAR CRIMINAL, BUT TOO LATE REF: ZAGREB 254 ¶1. (U) The Croatian Parliament (Sabor) Committee on Privileges and Immunities met in a special session on May 11 to consider the request of the Zagreb County Court to permit the detention of convicted MP Branimir Glavas for war crimes committed in 1991 in the eastern Croatian city of Osijek. The detention request was sent to the Sabor by the court immediately upon announcemnt of the verdict on May 8 (reftel). The committee vote was 8 to 1 in favor of allowing Glavas to be detained, with the lone dissenting vote coming from the committee member representing Glavas' HDSSB party. ¶2. (U) COMMENT: Unfortunately, the decision to allow detention has come too late to be put into operation. Glavas fled last week, reportedly even before the verdict was announced, to Herzegovina. According to press reports, Glavas acquired B-H citizenship in late 2008, on the basis of his parent's birth in the country. Since the B-H Constitution forbids the extradition of Bosnian citizens, it appears that Glavas will be safe from detention as long as he remains in that country and does not return to Croatia. The Croatian authorities have said they will issue an Interpol notice for his arrest as well, to restrict his ability to travel anywhere else. ¶3. (SBU) The issue of Glavas' conviction and flight to B-H, meanwhile, has become a frequent point of discussion in campaign activities leading up to Croatia's May 17 local elections. Glavas, via video and telephone statements, and his party officials have been making his "martyrdom" by Prime Minister Sanader a central feature of their campaign. Sanader himself drew sharp rebukes from the President of the Supreme Court and many media commentators for suggesting that the court was politically motivated in the timing of its verdict. Even more paranoid sources within Sanader's HDZ party claimed that on-going student protests, a planned strike of public sector employees this week, and the court's verdict in the Glavas case were all part of a coordinated effort to weaken the HDZ prior to the local elections. (NOTE: The court said at the final hearing on the Glavas case on April 28 that it would announce its verdict and sentence on May 8. No one at that time suggested the date was chosen for political reasons. END NOTE.) BRADTKE