Branimir Glavas in Osijek Prison

MP Branimir Glavas arrived at Osijek prison last night.

MP Branimir Glavas, indicted of war crimes, arrived at Osijek prison a little before 12:00 hours last night, accompanied by his friends, son Filip, numerous citizens of Osijek and special police. 

He refused to be escorted to prison in a police vehicle.

Three police officers arrived at Glavas’s flat around 8 p.m and he asked that he walk to the prison as an MP and Croatian army general.

But, after a brief telephone call of one of the police officers with Osijek-Baranja police administration, he was told that he must be accompanied by police and escorted in a police vehicle to the prison.

Glavas told the police officers it was not their fault, but they should “send a message to their chief Faber (Osijek-Baranja police commissioner) that he will not play games with a Croatian army general and member of parliament” adding that they could “tie me up and drag me because otherwise I will not go”.

He then exited to his balcony and told reporters and the citizens of Osijek that “nobody will destroy the sanctity of the Homeland War”, that the city of Osijek had been “defended on the blood of our children” and that “1,650 people died for the city’s freedom”.

Then, accompanied by his son Filip, some 20 of his friends and co-fighters, Osijek-Baranja County Prefect Kresimir Bubalo and MPs Vladimir Sisljagic and Ivan Drmic, he exited the flat and started walking towards the prison with chants of the gathered citizens of Osijek and the song “Be Spiteful, Slavonia”.

At the entrance of the prison Glavas told his friends that it would not be easy for them in the coming days because the police would question them and “blackmail them into giving false testimonies”, adding that they should “hold their own”.

Osijek-Baranja police administration said that at 20:10 police had handed Glavas the warrant in front of his attorney and some 20 citizens that were in his flat.

After being handed the warrant the indictee, against legal warnings and orders of police officers, started walking with the gathered citizens towards the Osijek prison where he was taken i by the court police at 20:50, the statement says.

“Although, due to the illegal conduct by the said group of citizens, there were legal preconditions for the use of force, police officers did not use force”, assessing that the use of force would cause greater repercussions than by the unlawful conduct of the group. There was also no danger of the accused fleeing,” says the statement.