Jailed Croat MP vows to continue hunger strike
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Jailed Croat MP vows to continue hunger strike
22 Nov 2006
Reuters
ZAGREB, Nov 22 (Reuters) - An influential Croatian parliament deputy, being investigated for war crimes, has vowed to continue his hunger strike in prison until death.
Branimir Glavas, suspected of atrocities against Serb civilians in Croatia's 1991-95 war of independence, has been on hunger strike since he was put in jail almost a month ago, after parliament temporarily lifted his immunity from prosecution.
He is the most influential politician in Croatia's eastern region of Slavonia and has been the main opponent of Prime Minister Ivo Sanader since quitting his ruling HDZ party last year.
"Sanader is my judge, jury and hangman... I will persist in my hunger strike because I don't want to live in a depraved state that Croatia is today ," Glavas said in a letter sent to the media from his prison cell in the Croatian capital.
"If I have to choose between living in a criminal country and death, I choose death," said the letter, carried by the Vecernji List daily newspaper on Wednesday.
Glavas has been under investigation since this spring for the abduction, torture and murder of Serbs in the eastern city of Osijek in late 1991 and early 1992, when he was in charge of the city's defence. He has denied any wrongdoing.
He is the highest-ranking local war crimes suspect since the country, which hopes to join the European Union by 2010, started coming to terms with atrocities committed by its own troops.
Glavas was among the founders of the ruling conservative HDZ before being expelled last year after clashing with Sanader over his pro-European policies.
Parliament is due to vote this week on extending his custody. The HDZ caucus decided on Tuesday to support his imprisonment after it had indicated it might vote to release Glavas until the investigative judge decides whether or not to indict him.
Analysts and the opposition said this was motivated by fears Glavas might implicate HDZ officials who had held senior posts in 1991 if he spoke up. They also said many hardline HDZ members were still not ready for such war crimes investigations.
"The Glavas case is not a political but a judiciary issue. The HDZ has not and will not meddle into the work of the judiciary," the HDZ and government spokesman Ratko Macek told the daily.