Politics
Bosnia: Plavsic set free, Karadzic trial starts without him
Belgrade, 27 October (AKI) - Former Bosnian Serb leader Biljana Plavsic arrived to Belgrade on Tuesday after she was set free by the United Nations war crimes tribunal (ICTY) which had sentenced her to 11 years in jail for crimes against Muslims and Croats during Bosnia’s 1992-1995 civil war.
At the same time, the trial of another Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic, started in the Hague, but he boycotted the court's session for the second straight day. The prosecution started reading Karadzic indictment on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in his absence.
The presiding judge, O-gon Kwon, gave Karadzic until Monday to appear in court or he would be appointed a lawyer. Karadzic, who is defending himself, has asked for a ten-month postponement to prepare his defence, but the court turned down the request.
Plavsic, 79, was a member of the highest Bosnian Serb wartime leadership and succeeded Radovan Karadzic in 1996 as president of the Serb entity Republika Srpska (RS), after Karadzic was indicted of genocide and war crimes.
Plavsic herself was indicted on war crimes charges in January 2001 and willingly surrendered to the Hague tribunal for trial. After initially denying the charges, she pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 11 years in jail in February 2003.
After serving two thirds of her sentence in a Swedish jail, the tribunal decided in September to set her free because of “good behaviour”.
She was released by Swedish authorities Tuesday morning and boarded a Bosnian Serb government plane bound for Belgrade.
She landed about 2 p.m. local time but evaded journalists and made no statements. RS prime minister Milorad Dodik said Plavsic was now a free person and promised to send a plane for her to Stockholm.
Plavsic’s close aide, Svetozar Mihajlovic, told journalists that Plavsic would live in the Serbian capital Belgrade, where she has an apartment, but would soon visit the Serb-inhabited part of Bosnia. He asked journalists to give her a few days to visit her family and “to go to church”.
However, Plavsic, draped in a fur coat, was met by Dodik and friends in front of her Belgrade apartment. She made no comment, except for saying that “it is nice to be free after nine years”.
Mihajlovic said Plavsic would soon attend a promotion of a book in RS written by a priest who was in contact with her during the jail years. That will be an opportunity for her to talk to journalists, Mihajlovic said.
At the same time, the trial of another Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic, started in the Hague, but he boycotted the court's session for the second straight day. The prosecution started reading Karadzic indictment on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in his absence.
The presiding judge, O-gon Kwon, gave Karadzic until Monday to appear in court or he would be appointed a lawyer. Karadzic, who is defending himself, has asked for a ten-month postponement to prepare his defence, but the court turned down the request.
Plavsic, 79, was a member of the highest Bosnian Serb wartime leadership and succeeded Radovan Karadzic in 1996 as president of the Serb entity Republika Srpska (RS), after Karadzic was indicted of genocide and war crimes.
Plavsic herself was indicted on war crimes charges in January 2001 and willingly surrendered to the Hague tribunal for trial. After initially denying the charges, she pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 11 years in jail in February 2003.
After serving two thirds of her sentence in a Swedish jail, the tribunal decided in September to set her free because of “good behaviour”.
She was released by Swedish authorities Tuesday morning and boarded a Bosnian Serb government plane bound for Belgrade.
She landed about 2 p.m. local time but evaded journalists and made no statements. RS prime minister Milorad Dodik said Plavsic was now a free person and promised to send a plane for her to Stockholm.
Plavsic’s close aide, Svetozar Mihajlovic, told journalists that Plavsic would live in the Serbian capital Belgrade, where she has an apartment, but would soon visit the Serb-inhabited part of Bosnia. He asked journalists to give her a few days to visit her family and “to go to church”.
However, Plavsic, draped in a fur coat, was met by Dodik and friends in front of her Belgrade apartment. She made no comment, except for saying that “it is nice to be free after nine years”.
Mihajlovic said Plavsic would soon attend a promotion of a book in RS written by a priest who was in contact with her during the jail years. That will be an opportunity for her to talk to journalists, Mihajlovic said.
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