Over the years Hedl's journalistic work has helped expose a series of war crimes committed in the Osijek area, but the attitude of judicial authorities and the suspect Branimir Glavas towards witnesses and the media following this case shows that this whole story is still not being taken seriously, the media and civil organisations said at a meeting of support for Hedl, which took place in the offices of the Croatian Writers Society in Zagreb.
The head of "Article X", Denis Kuljis, said that his organisation would request that the case be transferred from Zagreb to Rijeka County Court as "the only county court that has proved capable of conducts such cases."
Representatives of the organisation said that Glavas should be detained for tampering with witnesses and called for steps to be taken to determine "the professional and moral responsibility of the judges participating in this judicial travesty."
The organisation said it would announce its demands in written form in the coming days.
Two weeks ago Hedl notified Chief Public Prosecutor Mladen Bajic and the public of his decision not to give testimony before a Zagreb County Court investigating judge. Hedl repeated today that he made the decision following Glavas's statements in the media in which he attacked his human and moral integrity.
Hedl recalled a series of threats he had received since July 2005 when he made public the testimony of Krunoslav Fehir, who accused Glavas of arresting, torturing and killing Serb civilians.
Glavas has dismissed all the charges on several occasions, both in the media and in court.