Branimir Glavaš Branimir Glavaš ( born September 23 , 1956 ) is a Croatian former major general and right - wing politician . He was one of the founders of Croatian Democratic Union and one of its key players until split in 2006 . In 2009 he was found guilty for war crimes . Glavaš came to prominence in his home city of Osijek during the Croatian war of independence , when he led its defense and became a major general in the Croatian Army . After the war he continued to exercise much influence as one of the leading members of Croatian Democratic Union ( HDZ ) . In 2005 / 2006 , Glavaš was first accused of war crimes , and he also left HDZ and founded a new party – the Croatian Democratic Assembly of Slavonia and Baranja ( HDSSB ) . After a lengthy and controversial trial , during which he was re - elected to parliament and had to be stripped of immunity twice , in 2009 he was found guilty of torture and murder of Serb civilians in Osijek during the war , and was sentenced to 10 years in prison . Glavaš fled to neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina , where he remained free because of his dual citizenship . In 2010 , when his conviction was confirmed , though commuted to 8 years in prison , he was ejected from the Croatian Parliament , stripped of his war - time medals and rank , and eventually incarcerated in Bosnia and Herzegovina . Early life and military career . The parents of Branimir Glavaš , his father Ljubomir and his mother Zorka née Pandžić , were born in village of Drinovci , in the municipality of Grude , today ' s Bosnia and Herzegovina . Glavaš attended gymnasium in his home town of Osijek and graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Osijek . In 1990 Glavaš was one of the founders of the Croatian Democratic Union ( HDZ ) , and one of the most prominent members of that party in Slavonia . In the same year he was elected to the Croatian Parliament ( " Sabor " ) and later became part of the last Croatian delegation in the House of Republics and Provinces of the Yugoslav Federal Assembly . When the tensions between the new Croatian government and Croatia ' s ethnic Serb minority began to escalate , Glavaš emerged as one of the most militant Croatian politicians , earning the reputation of a maverick . From 12 October 1990 until 24 April 1992 he was secretary of the Secretariat for Defense of the Osijek municipality ( " Sekretarijat za narodnu obranu općine Osijek " ) , becoming one of the most important officials in charge of defending Osijek and Slavonia . On 2 November 1991 , with Croatian War of Independence already in progress , he was appointed assistant to the commander for the defence of Osijek in charge of territorial co - ordination and public relations . On 1 December 1991 he was appointed to the rank of major ( " bojnik " ) and on 7 December 1991 he was appointed commander of defence for Osijek . His record in wartime Osijek is the subject of some controversy - while some point to his armed takeover of the local daily newspaper " Glas Slavonije " as an illustration of Glavaš ' questionable methods of government , others see him as an icon of Croatian resistance who was affectionately called the " Father and Mother of Slavonia " . What isn ' t debatable is that Glavaš emerged from the war as the most powerful politician in eastern Slavonia , able to defy even Franjo Tuđman . Glavaš later received the rank of Major General of the Croatian Army . In April 1992 , after the Command for the defence of Osijek was dissolved , he was named assistant to the commander of First operation zone Osijek . Political career after the war . After demobilisation , on 30 May 1992 , he was elected president of Executive council of the Osijek municipality Assembly . At the February 1993 elections he was elected delegate to the Chamber of Counties ( " Županijski dom Sabora " ) , and on 14 April 1993 he became the first prefect of the Osijek - Baranja County ( " župan Osječko - baranjske županije " ) . Over time , Glavaš developed a rivalry with the Osijek mayor Zlatko Kramarić , who was his opposite in everything — from politics to style . After the 1993 local elections , Kramarić came to power in Osijek , but Glavaš and his HDZ kept the rest of the Osijek - Baranja county . In that period Glavaš surprised many by offering agricultural subsidies to ethnic Serb citizens in then - occupied sections of eastern Slavonia , and explaining that he would be " first in peace just as he was first in war " . At the October 1995 elections he was elected to the Chamber of Representatives ( " Zastupnički dom Sabora " ) , then he was re - elected to the Chamber of Counties at the April 1997 elections , and in May 1997 he was also reelected prefect of the Osijek - Baranja County . In October 1997 he was named the Inspector of the Croatian Army ( " Inspektor Hrvatske Vojske " ) at the Inspectorate General of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia ( " Glavna Inspekcija Oružanih Snaga Republike Hrvatske " ) , Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Croatia . In February 1999 , he returned to his county political office , where he remained until the end of June 2000 . In November 1997 , he petitioned the authorities to recognize his partial disability , caused by a broken rib injury he sustained while driving near Bjelovar in January 1992 . He was later temporarily stripped of the disabled veteran status , until it was reinstated by a court order . He was also reelected to the Croatian Parliament in the January 2000 elections . Partly through charisma , partly through a well - established network of supporters , and partly through presenting himself as a champion of Slavonian interests in Zagreb , Glavaš maintained a tight grip on power and eastern Slavonia remained an HDZ stronghold even after the death of Franjo Tuđman and his party ' s loss of power at the national level in 2000 . In 2002 , when hardliner Ivić Pašalić challenged new and moderate HDZ leader Ivo Sanader for party leadership , Branimir Glavaš , despite his own hardline credentials , decided to support the latter . At the crucial HDZ convention he provided security , which helped Sanader to remain the party chairman . A year later , the HDZ won the November 2003 parliamentary election and Ivo Sanader became prime minister , with Glavaš as one of his most important allies . Glavaš himself was reelected as a member of parliament . Split with HDZ . As time went by and Ivo Sanader ' s policies became less popular , and there were apparent setbacks for Croatia ' s prospects for entry into the EU , so Glavaš began to publicly distance himself from Sanader . Glavaš expressed Euroscepticism with regard to how the EU would handle the Croatian accession negotiations , and views critical towards the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia ( ICTY ) . This process escalated a few days before the start of local elections in May 2005 . Glavaš proclaimed himself to be a regionalist and began to advocate regional reorganisation of Croatia , founding a political organisation with that aim . On April 20 , 2005 , the programme of the " Hrvatski demokratski sabor Slavonije i Baranje " - Croatian Democratic Assembly of Slavonia and Baranja - was first published , and Glavaš was immediately ejected from the HDZ on April 21 , 2005 , but not before persuading almost the entire membership of the local party to support his project and new electoral ticket . In the Croatian local elections , 2005 , his list of independent candidates won a relative majority in Osijek and Osijek - Baranja county . This prompted Kramarić to approach all other parties in Osijek and attempt to form a broad anti - Glavaš coalition , an offer which was accepted and resulted in HDZ loyalists being allied with the likes of the Social Democratic Party of Croatia . In June 2005 Glavaš defeated this scheme , first by allying with the far - right Croatian Party of Rights ( HSP ) , in a coalition that gave the HSP the mayoral position in Osijek for the first time ; and then by persuading some assemblymen of the anti - Glavaš coalition to support his candidates in inaugural sessions of the Osijek - Baranja county and City of Osijek assembly . On 21 May 2005 Glavaš and his supporters founded a new political party - " Hrvatski demokratski savez Slavonije i Baranje " - the Croatian Democratic Alliance of Slavonia and Baranja . War crimes charges . In July 2005 , Glavaš was publicly implicated in the 1991 murders of Serb civilians in Osijek . In May 2006 Croatian chief prosecutor Mladen Bajić asked the Croatian Parliament to deprive Glavaš of his parliamentary immunity , in order to start formal criminal proceedings in the case . On 10 May , this request was granted . During the proceedings , prosecutors failed twice in their attempts to have Glavaš arrested , because investigative magistrates and local courts rejected their demands to issue arrest warrant s . However , on 23 October one investigative magistrate issued an arrest warrant , which was approved by the Mandate - Immunity Committee of Croatian Parliament after four days of dramatic and confusing deliberations . Glavaš was arrested on 26 October and put in jail for fear that he might influence witnesses if he was bailed . Osijek ' s investigative judge Mario Kovac then ruled that the case against Glavaš can begin . Glavaš subsequently went on hunger strike . On 2 December 2006 , Glavaš was released from custody pending his trial , bringing to an end his 37 - day hunger strike . The investigating judge had ruled that Glavaš was too ill to attend legal hearings , and investigations were suspended . On 8 February 2007 , the case against Glavas was reopened . Branimir Glavaš was re - indicted on 16 April 2007 at the county court in Osijek , for allegedly giving orders to members of a unit under his command to abduct , torture and murder Serbs in late 1991 . Following the indictment , he was returned to custody . He started a second hunger strike on 27 April . On 9 May a second indictment was brought against him on charges of ordering the torture and killing of at least two Serb civilians . His trial began in Osijek on 15 October 2007 . In the Croatian elections of 25 November 2007 , Glavaš was re - elected to parliament . This restored his immunity , and he was released from detention . On 14 July 2008 , the trial was adjourned until September 2008 because of the poor health of one of Glavaš ' s co - accused . Under Croatian law , since there was a break of more than two months in the trial , there had to be a retrial . Glavaš and his supporters claimed that the criminal investigation was politically motivated and pointed to its start coinciding with Glavaš ' s departure from the ruling HDZ party . At the same time , it was reported that witnesses in the trial , including Osijek - based journalist Drago Hedl , were threatened . On 8 May 2009 the Zagreb District Court found Glavaš guilty of torture and murder of Serbian civilians in Osijek , and sentenced him to 10 years in prison . However , Vladimir Šišljagić , the leader of HDSSB , the political party Glavaš founded when he left HDZ , showed up in court instead of him and stated that he was " in a safe place " . Glavaš fled the country , reportedly to Herzegovina , having procured citizenship in Bosnia - Herzegovina seven months earlier . Glavaš was arrested near to the Bosnian town of Kupres on 13 May 2009 . The Croatian Ministry of Justice filed a request for his extradition but this was rejected on 23 June 2009 . In June 2010 , the Supreme Court of Croatia confirmed the guilty verdict for Glavaš and others , but reduced the sentences slightly , for him to eight years of prison . The verdict caused his membership in the Parliament to be automatically rescinded , together with the immunity and other privileges he continued to enjoy up to it . The parliamentary committee subsequently decided that his mandate ended with the day of the final verdict , May 2 , 2010 , a decision to which he publicly appealed saying they owe him one salary . Based on the agreement on mutual execution of criminal sanctions between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina , Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina confirmed the second - instance verdict and Glavaš was arrested in Drinovci on September 28 , 2010 . Decorations . Because of his contribution during Croatian War of Independence Glavaš was rewarded with several medals : After his war crimes conviction , the revocation of these decorations was an oft - mentioned topic in the media , and both Croatian Presidents Mesić and Josipović said that they would handle the issue according to the law which states that illegal and immoral acts are grounds for revocation . Finally , after his Supreme Court verdict , President Josipović formally took away the decorations , but not before Glavaš told the media he had sold his medals to someone . Josipović responded to this by saying the metal insignia can be dealt with whichever way one wishes to deal with them , but that the moral content of the honor is bestowed by the President of the Republic . In August 2010 , President Josipović also said that Glavaš would enter a military procedure for his rank of general to be rescinded , according to a law that says officers who are given a prolonged prison sentence ( over three years ) lose their rank . A month later , he issued a decision to that effect , for Glavaš as well as for Mirko Norac , Vladimir Zagorec , Tihomir Orešković and Siniša Rimac .