Srebrenica Memorial Centre urges prosecution action over state honours for convicted war criminal Biljana Plavsic

The Memorial Centre stressed that there is no room for ambiguity regarding her legacy, noting that Biljana Plavšić pleaded guilty to the persecution of Bosniaks, Croats, and other non-Serb populations as a crime against humanity, for which she received a final binding conviction.

The organization highlighted the misuse of public finances, stating that it is particularly unacceptable that her glorification is funded from the Republika Srpska budget.

That budget, the statement noted, belongs to all citizens residing in the entity, including survivors and families of victims of the persecution and other crimes for which Biljana Plavsic accepted responsibility.

“Practically speaking, their money is today being used to organize tributes to the person responsible for their persecution and suffering. The Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina explicitly prohibits the glorification of persons with final convictions for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes when such conduct is capable of inciting violence or hatred. The Memorial Centre considers that decisions to organise an official commemoration, engage state institutions, and expend public money require immediate action by the competent prosecutor’s office.”

Responsibility, the statement emphasized, does not end with those delivering speeches today.

“It is necessary to determine who made the decisions, who signed them, who approved the expenditure of budgetary funds, and who participated in their implementation. The Srebrenica Memorial Centre calls upon the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina to examine without delay the criminal liability of all individuals responsible for these decisions. The death of Biljana Plavšić does not erase her conviction. Institutions have no right to use public money to turn a convicted war criminal into a figure receiving official honours,” the Srebrenica Memorial Centre concluded.