Special treatment for Croatia's Glavas?

03/11/2006

The delay in arresting a powerful political figure is a proof that not all citizens are seen as equal before the law, a Croatian blogger suggests.

By Balkanblogs for Southeast European Times – 03/11/06

Branimir Glavas. [Getty Images]

Croatian bloggers have had much to say about the controversy surrounding Branimir Glavas, a former HDZ deputy who is under investigation in connection with war crimes in the town of Osijek. Glavas commanded Osijek's defence during the 1991-1995 conflict, and authorities want to find out if he was involved in the torture and killing of Serb civilians.

Even after the state prosecutor demanded Glavas be put into custody, it took some time. An investigative judge in Osijek, Mario Kovac, ruled that the case was not within his authority. Glavas was finally arrested in late October, and promptly began a hunger strike to protest his detention.

For some, the delay suggested special treatment, afforded to an influential political figure in the region.

"All they did until now was to transfer responsibility from one court to the other" wrote Croatian.Nauseous.News. "Without even further discussing whether Glavas is guilty or not -- that will be established at the trial -- we are able to see that, compared to any other citizen of this country, Glavas gets different judicial treatment on a daily basis."

Meanwhile, opinioiuris voiced concern that the turmoil accompanying the criminal proceedings against Glavas could undermine Croatia's efforts to show it is able to handle war crimes cases.

The UN tribunal in The Hague wants to hand over such cases to Croatia as part of its exit strategy. But the legal and political shenanigans surrounding Glavas do little to show Croatia is ready for that, he writes.

"If the Glavas case represents an example of what the Croatian public can expect in the trials against individuals who committed crimes against Serbs, then even the basic requirements for transferring the cases from The Hague -- the independence of the judiciary and the right to a fair trial -- appear to be seriously jeopardised," opiniorusis concludes.

RAGE, however, thinks its more a matter of political retribution. "

Since last April, when Glavas left HDZ, a negative campaign, as well as besmirching and conspiracy against the Osijek power player, has been going on," he writes. "These developments prove that pre-election games are gaining momentum, and everybody is trying to benefit."

Also in Croatia:

Runngun worries that too many anglicisms and other foreign terms are creeping into the Croatian language. People increasingly resort to these imported terms, even when the meaning could be expressed with a Croatian word more clearly and precisely. To remedy the situation, he writes, a Croatian magazine is holding a competition for Best Croatian Word.

"They want to inspire people to stop using anglicisms and come up with Croatian expressions instead of foreign words. They are even offering awards ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 kuna for the best proposals. If you think of something, this would be an easy way to earn money."