"I reject the order from the Hague tribunal. I am a journalist, a citizen of Croatia and a Croat, and I will act in accordance with my personal and professional responsibility and continue the publication of Mesic's testimony," Margetic said at a press conference in Zagreb, adding that he would most probably post the testimony on the Internet.
"The Croatian public has the right to know the truth, which is that Mesic betrayed Croatia and that he and Justice Minister Vesna Skare-Ozbolt are behind the illegal raid and the beating and arrest of HVIDRA members and myself two days ago," he said.
Margetic said that the Hague tribunal's order was prompted by the justice minister, whom he accused of sending highly confidential documents to The Hague and participating in the preparation of the tribunal's indictments against Croatian journalists.
Margetic said that a CD containing an audio recording of Mesic's protected testimony in the trial of Bosnian Croat military commander Tihomir Blaskic had been given to him by David Eckerson, an assistant to the Hague tribunal's chief prosecutor, during an exchange of evidence in proceedings against Margetic before the tribunal.
Margetic rejected a police statement that the CD was found on his person at the time of his arrest on Monday, saying that it was a lie. He added that the police raided the Zagreb offices of the HVIDRA, an association of disabled war veterans, and searched his bag without a warrant.
"Investigating judge Ratko Scekic is a political and judicial manipulator. He lies when he says that the police had a warrant, because on the orders of Minister Vesna Skare-Ozbolt he has been concealing in the court my appeal against the Hague tribunal's indictment," he said.
Margetic insisted that the tribunal's order forbidding him to make the testimony public was illegal because it was served on him 24 hours before the time he had to show up in court rather than eight days in advance as stipulated by the law.
Margetic said he was confident that the Zagreb County Court would issue an order for his detention already today and that it would also order searches of his and his mother's apartments.
Asked what he was going to do when the police came for him, Margetic said he did not know exactly, but pointed out that he would do all he could to protect himself "because after what happened on Monday who can guarantee that they won't shoot at us."
Sinisa Novak of the Organisation for the Protection of Hague Tribunal Indictees and Suspects appealed to all war veterans not to treat the police as their enemies because of the incident in the HVIDRA offices, saying that "the enemies are those in the government who make such policies."