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Viewing cable 95ZAGREB1908, VISIT TO DETAINED SERBS YIELDS NO SOLID EVIDENCE

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
95ZAGREB1908 1995-05-17 17:36 2011-08-30 01:44 CONFIDENTIAL Embassy Zagreb
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
CONFIDENTIAL SECTION 01 OF 03 ZAGREB 01908 
 
SIPDIS 
 
JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-5PMA/J21// 
SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ISP// 
NSC WASHDC 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ZAGREB 001908 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
VIENNA ALSO FOR BOSNIA 
BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEU 
USVIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL CSCE 
 
E.O. 12356: DECL: 5/10/96 
TAGS: 
SUBJECT:  VISIT TO DETAINED SERBS YIELDS NO SOLID EVIDENCE 
          OF ABUSE 
 
REF: ZAGREB 1824 
 
------- 
SUMMARY 
------- 
- 
1. ON MAY 12, POLOFF VISITED THE GYMNASIUM BEING USED AS A 
MAKESHIFT DETENTION CENTER IN VARAZDIN WHERE OVER FIVE 
HUNDRED SERB MEN FROM SECTOR WEST HAD BEEN BROUGHT BY 
CROATIAN AUTHORITIES ON MAY 5 (AND WHICH WAS EMPTY BY MAY 
16).  THE VISIT WAS PROMPTED BY ALLEGATIONS OF PHYSICAL 
MISTREATMENT AND ABUSE WHICH HAD BEEN PICKED UP BY THE UN 
AND ICRC (REFTEL).  POLOFF FOUND NO HARD EVIDENCE OF 
PHYSICAL MISTREATMENT, BUT THE ATTITUDES OF THE CROATIAN 
POLICE TOWARD SUSPECTED "WAR CRIMINALS" LED POLOFF TO 
BELIEVE THAT POLICE COULD HAVE BEEN OVERZEALOUS IN THEIR 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 

 
 
 
 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 03        ZAGREB  01908  01 OF 03  171640Z 
PURSUIT OF INFORMATION DURING INTERROGATIONS.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
TRIED TO PROCESS QUICKLY, BUT 139 STILL THERE AFTER 8 DAYS 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
 
2. THE LOCAL POLICE CHIEF TOLD POLOFF THAT, ON JUST A FEW 
HOURS NOTICE, 532 SERB MEN HAD BEEN BROUGHT TO VARAZDIN ON 
MAY 5.  THE SAME DAY, ALL OF THE MEN OVER 55 AND UNDER 20 
HAD BEEN RELEASED, NINETY-THREE IN TOTAL.  THE POLICE THEN 
BEGAN TRYING TO ESTABLISH THE IDENTITIES OF THE REMAINING 
439 DETAINEES THROUGH DOCUMENT CHECKS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND 
FINGERPRINTING.  THESE MEN WERE THEN CHECKED AGAINST 
CROATIAN GOVERNMENT RECORDS FOR ANY EVIDENCE OF "WAR 
CRIMES." 
 
3. FROM MAY 6 UNTIL MAY 13 (WHEN THE CENTER WAS CLOSED), 
THE LOCAL POLICE PROCESSED ALL THE REMAINING SERBS. OF THE 
439 DETAINEES, 206 WERE RELEASED DIRECTLY BACK TO PAKRAC, 
AND 219 WERE SENT FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION BY MILITARY 
INVESTIGATIVE COURTS.  NINETY PERCENT OF THE LATTER WERE 
SENT TO THE MILITARY COURT IN BJELOVAR.  THE REMAINING 
FOURTEEN MEN WERE TRANSFERRED TO BJELOVAR TO GIVE 
TESTIMONY AS WITNESSES AGAINST THEIR FELLOW DETAINEES.  ON 
MAY 16, THE VARAZDIN AUTHORITIES SAID THEY DID NOT KNOW 
HOW MANY OF THE 233 MEN TRANSFERRED TO THE MILITARY COURTS 
HAD BEEN RELEASED AND HOW MANY WERE STILL BEING HELD. 
(NOTE:  PRESS REPORTS ON MAY 16 SAID THAT 220 SERBS, OF 
ALL THOSE HELD IN BJELOVAR ORIGINALLY OR TRANSFERRED FROM 
VARAZDIN, WERE STILL BEING HELD IN THE BJELOVAR DISTRICT 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 

 
 
 
 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 04        ZAGREB  01908  01 OF 03  171640Z 
JAIL ON SUSPICION OF WAR CRIMES.  ON A PREVIOUS VISIT TO 
BJELOVAR, POLOFF WAS TOLD THE JAIL HAD A CAPACITY OF 100. 
END NOTE.) 
- 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
LIVING CONDITIONS BEARABLE, INTERROGATIONS LENGTHY 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
4. IN VARAZDIN, POLOFF WAS GIVEN FREE RUN OF THE SPORTS 
HALL WHERE THE REMAINING 139 DETAINEES STILL THERE ON MAY 
12 WERE BEING HELD.  THE MEN WERE ALL LYING ON MATTRESSES 
ON THE MAIN GYM FLOOR.  FOR TWO MEALS A DAY AND SMOKING 
PRIVILEGE, WEATHER PERMITTING, THE MEN WERE TAKEN EN MASSE 
TO AN OUTDOOR PLAYGROUND.  INTERROGATIONS WERE HELD IN 
UPSTAIRS OFFICES.  THE INTERROGATIONS WERE SAID TO TAKE ON 
AVERAGE ONE TO TWO HOURS PER PERSON.  THEY WERE ONLY DONE 
DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS.  POLOFF WAS SHOWN TYPED NOTES FROM 
ONE INTERVIEW AS A SAMPLE.  THE DETAINEE HAD BEEN ASKED 
FOR ALL PERSONAL DATA AND TO PROVIDE INFORMAT 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NNNNPTQ1842 
 
 
 
 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ1842 
 
PAGE 01        ZAGREB  01908  02 OF 03  171640Z 
ACTION EUR-01 
 
INFO  LOG-00   AID-00   AMAD-01  CIAE-00  OASY-00  EB-01    H-01 
      TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-08    L-01     ADS-00   NSAE-00  OIC-02 
      PA-01    PRS-01   P-01     SP-00    SR-00    SS-00    STR-01 
      TRSE-00  USIE-00  PRME-01  DRL-09   G-00       /029W 
                  ------------------C695BE  171640Z /38 
P 171736Z MAY 95 
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5810 
INFO USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 
CINCUSAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE//DO/LG/XP/IN// 
HQ JTF PP NAPLES IT//CA/POLAD// 
JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5-PMA/J21// 
JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK 
USNMR SHAPE BE//POLAD// 
SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ISP// 
USCINCEUR VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ3/ECJ4/ECJ5// 
CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON UK//N2/N22// 
COM SIXTHFLT//N2// 
HQ JTF PP NAPLES IT//CA/POLAD// 
DIA WASHDC 
USMISSION GENEVA 
AMCONSUL MUNICH 
USLO SKOPJE 
AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA 
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST 
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 
NATO EU COLLECTIVE 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 

 
 
 
 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        ZAGREB  01908  02 OF 03  171640Z 
JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-5PMA/J21// 
SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ISP// 
NSC WASHDC 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 03 ZAGREB 001908 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
VIENNA ALSO FOR BOSNIA 
BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEU 
USVIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL CSCE 
 
E.O. 12356: DECL: 5/10/96 
TAGS: 
SUBJECT:  VISIT TO DETAINED SERBS YIELDS NO SOLID EVIDENCE 
          OF ABUSE 
 
ION ON HIS 
MILITARY ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING THE NAMES OF OTHER SOLDIERS 
AND THE COMMANDERS, AS WELL AS DETAILS OF ANY "WAR CRIMES" 
WITNESSED. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
NO SOLID EVIDENCE OF PHYSICAL MISTREATMENT 
------------------------------------------ 
 
5. AFTER A BRIEF TOUR OF THE GYM, POLOFF WAS ALLOWED TO 
SPEAK IN PRIVATE (OUTDOORS) WITH DETAINEES THAT HE CHOSE 
AT RANDOM FROM THE GROUP.  FIVE SEPARATE DETAINEES 
DESCRIBED LIVING CONDITIONS AS SATISFACTORY.  THEY SAID 
THE FOOD WAS SUFFICIENT AND OF GOOD QUALITY.  THEY HAD 
BEEN VISITED BY BOTH ICRC AND THE UN.  ALL COMPLAINED OF 
BOREDOM (AFTER EIGHT DAYS SPENT ENTIRELY AT THE SPORTS 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 

 
 
 
 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 03        ZAGREB  01908  02 OF 03  171640Z 
HALL).  NONE OF THE DETAINEES REPORTED SEEING ANY OTHERS 
EVER TAKEN AWAY ALONE FROM THE GROUP, EXCEPT WHEN GOING UP 
TO THE INTERVIEW ROOMS.  NONE RECALLED ANY DETAINEES NOT 
RETURNING FROM THEIR INTERROGATIONS, OR COMING BACK WITH 
OBVIOUS INJURIES OR BLEEDING. 
 
6. ASKED IF THERE HAD BEEN BEATINGS OR MISTREATMENT, NONE 
OF THE PRISONERS CITED ANY SPECIFIC CASES.  THEY ALL 
REPORTED THEY HAD SUFFERED NO ILL TREATMENT (ONE ADDED, 
"GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES").  BUT THEY COULD NOT, OR WOULD 
NOT, SAY THAT NO BEATINGS HAD TAKEN PLACE.  ONE MAN SAID, 
"YOU WOULD HAVE TO TALK TO OTHERS TO FIND OUT," BUT WOULD 
NOT PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.  ASKED IF THEY WERE 
AFRAID, THEY ALL SAID THEIR REAL FEAR WAS CAUSED BY THE 
UNCERTAINTY OF WHERE THEY WERE GOING.  (NOTE: OF THE 139 
STILL THERE THAT DAY, THE CROATIANS SAY THEY TRANSFERRED 
74 TO BJELOVAR AS POSSIBLE SUSPECTS.) 
- 
7. ASKED IF THEY PLANNED TO REMAIN IN CROATIA AFTER THEIR 
RELEASE, ALL OF THE DETAINEES SAID THAT THEY WOULD MAKE 
THAT DECISION BASED ON CONDITIONS BACK IN PAKRAC ONCE THEY 
REACHED THERE. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
8. LIVING CONDITIONS AT THE DETENTION CENTER WERE NOT 
UNBEARABLE, ALTHOUGH THEY MUST HAVE BEEN WORSE WHEN THE 
CENTER WAS MORE CROWDED.  THE MORE IMPORTANT ISSUE, 
HOWEVER, IS WHETHER VIOLENCE WAS USED AGAINST THE 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 

 
 
 
 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 04        ZAGREB  01908  02 OF 03  171640Z 
DETAINEES.  DESPITE RUMORS PICKED UP BY INTERNATIONAL 
ORGANIZATIONS OF PRISONERS BEATEN IN VARAZDIN, POLOFF 
FOUND NO HARD EVIDENCE ON THE SCENE MAY 12 TO INDICATE 
THIS WAS THE CASE.  IN WALKING THROUGH THE ROWS OF 
DETAINEES, POLOFF COULD NOT EASILY SEE ANY SIGNS OF WOUNDS 
OR BEATINGS.  (NOTE: IN PAKRAC MAY 16, EMBOFFS FOUND 2 
SERBS RECENTLY RELEASED FROM BJELOVAR WHO SHOWED US 
BRUISES THEY CLAIMED TO HAVE RECEIVED IN VARAZDIN.  SEE 
SEPTEL). 
 
9. THE ATTITUDE AND COMMENTS OF THE LOCAL POLICE, HOWEVER, 
SUGGEST THAT THERE MAY WELL HAVE BEEN ROUGH TREATMENT OF 
THOSE DETAINEES WHO THE POLICE BELIEVED HAD PARTICIPATED 
IN ATROCITIES.  THE POLICE DREW A CLEAR DISTINCTION 
BETWEEN THOSE DETAINEES WHO HAD NOT PARTICIPATED IN CRIMES 
AGAINST CROATIA OR CIVILIANS, OR HAD MERELY FOLLOWED 
ORDERS DURING MILITARY SERVICE, AND THOSE DETAINEES WHO 
WERE BELIEVED TO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN OR ORDERED 
ATROCITIES.  FOR THE FORMER GROUP, THE POLICE PROFESSED 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NNNNPTQ1850 
 
 
 
 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ1850 
 
PAGE 01        ZAGREB  01908  03 OF 03  171640Z 
ACTION EUR-01 
 
INFO  LOG-00   AID-00   AMAD-01  CIAE-00  OASY-00  EB-01    H-01 
      TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-08    L-01     ADS-00   NSAE-00  OIC-02 
      PA-01    PRS-01   P-01     SP-00    SR-00    SS-00    STR-01 
      TRSE-00  USIE-00  PRME-01  DRL-09   G-00       /029W 
                  ------------------C695C4  171640Z /38 
P 171736Z MAY 95 
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5811 
INFO USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 
CINCUSAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE//DO/LG/XP/IN// 
HQ JTF PP NAPLES IT//CA/POLAD// 
JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5-PMA/J21// 
JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK 
USNMR SHAPE BE//POLAD// 
SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ISP// 
USCINCEUR VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ3/ECJ4/ECJ5// 
CINCUSNAVEUR LONDON UK//N2/N22// 
COM SIXTHFLT//N2// 
HQ JTF PP NAPLES IT//CA/POLAD// 
DIA WASHDC 
USMISSION GENEVA 
AMCONSUL MUNICH 
USLO SKOPJE 
AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA 
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST 
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 
NATO EU COLLECTIVE 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 

 
 
 
 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        ZAGREB  01908  03 OF 03  171640Z 
JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-5PMA/J21// 
SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ISP// 
NSC WASHDC 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 03 OF 03 ZAGREB 001908 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
VIENNA ALSO FOR BOSNIA 
BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEU 
USVIENNA ALSO FOR USDEL CSCE 
 
E.O. 12356: DECL: 5/10/96 
TAGS: 
SUBJECT:  VISIT TO DETAINED SERBS YIELDS NO SOLID EVIDENCE 
          OF ABUSE 
 
TOTAL SUPPORT FOR PRESIDENT TUDJMAN'S STATEMENTS THAT 
THESE MEN SHOULD BE RELEASED. 
 
10. BUT FOR THE LATTER GROUP (OR THOSE EVEN SUSPECTED OF 
BELONGING TO THE LATTER GROUP), THE ATTITUDE WAS MUCH MORE 
HARD-NOSED.  THE POLICE WERE CATEGORICAL THAT ANYONE WHO 
WAS GUILTY OF "WAR CRIMES," AS DEFINED BY THE CROATIAN 
AUTHORITIES, SHOULD BE HELD, PROSECUTED, AND PUNISHED, 
REGARDLESS OF THE TERMS OF THE CEASEFIRE IN SECTOR WEST. 
THERE WAS NO RECEPTIVENESS TO THE SUGGESTION THAT, UNDER 
THE TERMS OF THE CEASEFIRE, THE POLICE SHOULD NOT HAVE 
BEEN INVESTIGATING THE DETAINEES OR HOLDING SUSPECTED WAR 
CRIMINALS.  AND THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT THE POLICE 
WOULD BE INCLINED TO ACT WITH ANY TENDERNESS OR CARE 
TOWARD SUCH SUSPECTS.  OUR GUESS IS THAT THE MORE SERIOUS 
THE CRIME A DETAINEE WAS SUSPECTED OF, THE ROUGHER HIS 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 

 
 
 
 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 03        ZAGREB  01908  03 OF 03  171640Z 
TREATMENT BY THE POLICE DURING INTERROGATION. 
 
11. THE GUARDED COMMENTS OF THE DETAINEES ("OUR TREATMENT 
IS SATISFACTORY, GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES"), AND THE 
APPEARANCE OF THOSE STILL IN THE SPORTS HALL, HOWEVER, 
SUGGESTED THAT WHATEVER ROUGH TREATMENT BY THE POLICE 
OCCURRED WAS NOT SYSTEMATIC AND WAS LIMITED (I.E., NO 
MURDERS, DISAPPEARANCES, OR INJURIES SERIOUS ENOUGH TO 
REQUIRE MEDICAL TREATMENT).  FINAL CONCLUSIONS CONCERNING 
POLICE TREATMENT OF DETAINEES WILL REQUIRE FURTHER 
INVESTIGATION, ESPECIALLY OF THE DETAINEES SUSPECTED OF 
THE MOST SERIOUS CRIMES, WHO ARE NOW HELD IN THE MILITARY 
PRISON IN BJELOVAR.  EMBASSY ALSO INTENDS TO PUSH THE 
CROATIAN GOVERNMENT TO ALLOW FULLER ACCESS TO ICRC, WHICH 
HAS COMPLAINED TO US OF LIMITS IMPOSED ON IT BY THE GOC. 
 
GALBRAITH 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NNNN