VZCZCXRO1265
OO RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHVB #0259 1311456
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 111456Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY ZAGREB
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9207
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

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