Croatian President Zoran Milanović is set to revoke seven state decorations awarded to former wartime commander Branimir Glavaš after a court ruling sentencing him to seven years in prison for war crimes against Serbian civilians became final, Croatian media reported on Friday.
The decision follows a final verdict in the so-called “Selotejp” case, in which Glavaš was found guilty of responsibility for crimes committed against ethnic Serb civilians in Osijek in 1991 during Croatia’s war of independence.
According to Croatian media reports, the decorations to be withdrawn include some of the country’s highest wartime honors awarded by Croatia’s first president, Franjo Tuđman, during the 1990s.
Milanović had previously restored Glavaš’s decorations in 2021 after Croatia’s Constitutional Court overturned an earlier conviction. At the time, the president said he was legally obliged to return the honors following a formal request from Glavaš.
“If he is convicted again, I will have no choice but to continue what was started before,” Milanović said in 2021, referring to the decision of former President Ivo Josipović, who had originally stripped Glavaš of the awards in 2010.
Glavaš questioned the rationale for revoking the decorations, arguing that they were awarded for his role in Croatia’s defense during the war and not connected to the criminal proceedings.
“I do not see why another president should challenge decorations awarded by President Tuđman,” Glavaš told Croatian media.
The former commander also accused media outlets of pressuring Milanović to act and argued that equal standards should apply to all military commanders convicted of war crimes, including those sentenced by international tribunals.
Glavaš said he plans to pursue additional legal remedies, including requests for an extraordinary review before Croatia’s Supreme Court, a constitutional complaint and a potential appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
The case remains one of the most prominent war crimes prosecutions linked to crimes committed against Serb civilians during the early stages of Croatia’s 1991-95 conflict.
Croatia’s presidency has not formally announced the decision, but officials have referred to Milanović’s previous statements, indicating that a new final conviction would require reconsideration of Glavaš’s state honors.