Ex-BiH Croat official, convicted by ICTY, arrives in Zagreb after serving two-thirds of term

Stojic was released early on Friday after serving two-thirds of his 20-year sentence in an Austrian prison in Graz.

His entry into Croatia was briefly in question after Austrian police in Vienna stopped him due to an alleged administrative oversight – his departure from the country had not been notified 24 hours in advance. As a result, Stojic missed his afternoon flight and had to wait for the next available plane.

According to family sources, Stojic was able to travel on a later flight and landed in Zagreb last night at around 10 p.m., where he was greeted by close family members and friends.

Stojic and five other military and political officials were sentenced by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague in 2017 to a total of 111 years in prison for participating in a joint criminal enterprise. The ruling stated that the so called "Herzeg-Bosnia six" were involved in the ethnic cleansing of Bosniaks and in attempts to annex parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Croatia, a plan which some linked to President Franjo Tudjman, Defence Minister Gojko Susak, and Chief of the General Staff General Janko Bobetko.

Following Stojic’s release, only one of the six officials is still in prison: Jadranko Prlic, who is serving a 25-year sentence.