BANJA LUKA MUSLIM LEADERS ARRESTED FOR

UNCLASSIFIED LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 01090 SIPDIS VIENNA ALSO FOR BOSNIA USVIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL OSCE BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEU E.O. 12356: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREF BK PREF BK HR SUBJECT: BANJA LUKA MUSLIM LEADERS ARRESTED FOR "ESPIONAGE" FACE POSSIBLE DEATH SENTENCE ¶1. THIS IS AN ACTION REQUEST. SEE PARA 7. ¶2. (U) IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS, OVER TEN OF THE MOST PROMINENT MUSLIM COMMUNITY LEADERS IN THE BANJA LUKA REGION HAVE BEEN ARRESTED AT THEIR MERHAMET OFFICES AND IN THEIR HOMES BY SERB MILITARY AUTHORITIES. THE DETAINED INCLUDED NIJAZ KARASELIMOVIC, THE 73-YEAR-OLD PRESIDENT OF MERHAMET BANJA LUKA. POLICE ALSO CARRIED AWAY COMPUTERS AND DISKS CONTAINING THE ORGANIZATION'S RECORDS. THERE ARE UNCONFIRMED REPORTS OF SIMILAR ARRESTS IN NOVI GRAD (FORMERLY BOSANSKI NOVI) AND PRNJAVOR. AFTER THESE ARRESTS AND THOSE OF THE SDA LEADERSHIP FIVE MONTHS AGO, THE ONLY REMAINING MUSLIM COMMUNITY LEADER IN BANJA LUKA IS THE RELIGIOUS MUFTI, IBRAHIM HALILOVIC. ¶3. (LOU) ACCORDING TO AP/HINA, MERHAMET ZAGREB SOURCES, AND KARASELIMOVIC'S SON EMIR (PROTECT),THESE PRISONERS ARE CURRENTLY UNDER DETENTION IN A MILITARY PRISON, HAVE BEEN INDICTED BY THE MILITARY PROSECUTOR IN BANJA LUKA FOR LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 03 ZAGREB 01090 01 OF 02 101652Z ESPIONAGE, AND MAY BE SUMMARILY EXECUTED IF CONVICTED. EFFORTS BY INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES TO VISIT THE PRISONERS HAVE BEEN REBUFFED SO FAR. LOCAL SOURCES IN CONTACT WITH THEIR FAMILIES TOLD US THAT, IN PRISON, THE MUSLIMS WERE BEATEN AND TORTURED BY THE MILITARY AUTHORITIES. THE INDICTMENT ALLEGES THAT THESE INDIVIDUALS CARRIED OUT ESPIONAGE ACTIVITIES IN THE FORM OF CONTACTS WITH FOREIGN EMBASSIES IN ZAGREB, AND REPORTEDLY NAMED THE BOSNIAN EMBASSY. PREVIOUS TO HIS ARREST, EMBOFF HAD MET WITH KARASELIMOVIC IN ZAGREB ON FEBRUARY 21 TO DISCUSS THE WORSENING HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION FOR MINORITIES IN THE BANJA LUKA REGION. AN ACCOUNT FROM BANJA LUKA'S "GLAS SRPSKI" LINKED THESE ALLEGED ESPIONAGE ACTIVITIES WITH THOSE OF THE SDA LEADERSHIP "VALTER GROUP," SIMILARLY CHARGED, AND CURRENTLY ON TRIAL BY THE MILITARY PROSECUTOR. ¶4. (U) THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS ARE REPORTED TO BE IMPRISONED AT THE MALI LOGOR BARRACKS IN BANJA LUKA AT THIS TIME: MERHAMET BANJA LUKA: NIJAZ KARASELIMOVIC, PRESIDENT BECO FILIPOVIC, VICE-PRESIDENT ISMET PELAK, ATTORNEY ADIL MEDIC, EXCHANGE COMMISSION MEMBER AND CONVOY MANAGER MEHMED BAJRIC, EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER AND CONVOY LEADER ENVER IBRAHIM-BEGOVIC, (NO FURTHER INFORMATION) (BAKIR IBRAHIM-BEGOVIC, FATHER OF ENVER, WAS RELEASED) LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 04 ZAGREB 01090 01 OF 02 101652Z MERHAMET PRIJEDOR NIJAZ KAPETANOVIC, PRESIDENT ADIL SOLO, VICE PRESIDENT SEDIKA CERIC, SECRETARY MERHAMET SANSKI MOST AMIR TALIC, FORMER PRESIDENT (TWO OTHERS FROM SANSKI MOST HAVE BEEN RELEASED) ¶5. (LOU) OUR CONTACTS STATED THAT AS A RESULT OF THESE DETENTIONS, PANIC HAS SPREAD AMONG THE MUSLIM AND OTHER MINORITY COMMUNITIES IN BANJA LUKA. FIVE THOUSAND PEOPLE ARE REPORTEDLY PREPARED TO LEAVE IMMEDIATELY IN FEAR FOR THEIR LIVES. ¶6. (LOU) UNHCR CONTACTS TOLD US THIS INCIDENT HAS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPAIRED THEIR EFFORTS AND THOSE OF OTHER INTERNATIONAL GROUPS TO MAINTAIN CONTACT WITH THE MINORITY COMMUNITIES AND DELIVER AID TO THE REGION. THEY BELIEVE THAT THE SERB AUTHORITIES HAVE "DECAPITATED" THE MUSLIM LIMITED OFFICIAL USE NNNNPTQ2046 LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PTQ2046 PAGE 01 ZAGREB 01090 02 OF 02 101653Z ACTION EUR-01 INFO LOG-00 AID-01 AMAD-01 CIAE-00 SMEC-00 OASY-00 EB-01 OIGO-01 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-10 L-01 ADS-00 NEA-01 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OIC-02 PA-01 PRS-01 P-01 SP-00 SR-00 SSO-00 SS-00 STR-01 TRSE-00 PRM-10 PRME-01 DRL-09 G-00 /044W -------------- AF2D0F 101653Z /38 O 101644Z MAR 95 FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5127 INFO CINCUSAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE//DO/LG/XP/IN// HQ JTF PP NAPLES IT//CA/POLAD// USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ3/ECJ4/ECJ5// CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON UK//N2/N22// USLO SKOPJE USMISSION USUN NEW YORK AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA AMEMBASSY BELGRADE NATO EU COLLECTIVE AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST USMISSION GENEVA AMCONSUL MUNICH COM SIXTHFLT//N2// HQUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE//J3/J4/J5// SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ISP// USIA WASHDC 5130 JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5-PMA/J21// LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 02 ZAGREB 01090 02 OF 02 101653Z LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 02 OF 02 ZAGREB 001090 VIENNA ALSO FOR BOSNIA USVIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL OSCE BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEU E.O. 12356: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREF BK PREF BK HR SUBJECT: BANJA LUKA MUSLIM LEADERS ARRESTED FOR "ESPIONAGE" FACE POSSIBLE DEATH SENTENCE COMMUNITY TO DESTABILIZE IT AND ENCOURAGE THE FURTHER EXODUS OF MUSLIMS. THE NEWLY NAMED LEADERSHIP FOR MERHAMET IN THE AREA (NO FURTHER INFORMATION) IS NOW WARY OF FURTHER INTERNATIONAL CONTACTS AND NO LONGER OPPOSES THE MASS DEPARTURE OF MUSLIMS, A SIGNIFICANT SHIFT FROM ITS TRADITIONAL POSITION ON ETHNIC CLEANSING. ONE MERHAMET SOURCE CLAIMED THAT THESE NEW LEADERS ARE NO LONGER INDEPENDENT, ARE SUBJECT TO SERB CIVIL POLICE THREATS AND MAY EVEN TAKE DIRECTION FROM THEM. UNHCR SAID THE PEOPLE NOW FEEL MUCH MORE EXPOSED AND THEIR LEADERSHIP IS NO LONGER ABLE TO "TAKE THE HEAT" FOR THEM. ¶7. (LOU) ACTION REQUEST: WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT THE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON ISSUE A STATEMENT WHICH CONDEMNS THE ARRESTS OF THESE SPECIFIC MUSLIM HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE COMMUNITY LEADERS; CALLS ON THE SERBS TO ALLOW INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES TO VISIT THE PRISONERS IMMEDIATELY AND ASCERTAIN THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH THEY ARE BEING HELD; POINTEDLY NOTES THE EXISTENCE OF THE WAR CRIMES LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 03 ZAGREB 01090 02 OF 02 101653Z TRIBUNAL; AND WARNS ALL OF THOSE INVOLVED IN THESE ARRESTS AND PROSECUTIONS AND IN THE CONTINUED "ETHNIC CLEANSING" OF NON-SERBS FROM THE BANJA LUKA REGION AND ELSEWHERE THAT WE ARE WATCHING CLOSELY AND TAKING NAMES AND INTEND TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE. NEITZKE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE NNNN