Former Serbian Political Leader Biljana Plavsic Passes Away at 96

Biljana Plavsic, a former political leader who served in the leadership of the Republika Srpska during the Balkan wars of the 1990s and was convicted of war crimes, has passed away at the age of 96 in Serbia's capital, Belgrade.

Passed Away in Belgrade

Biljana Plavsic, an ultra-nationalist politician who served in the Bosnian Serb leadership during the Balkan wars and was also known as a biologist, passed away in Serbia's capital, Belgrade, at the age of 96. The news of her death was announced by Serbian state media.

Wartime Roles

Plavsic served first as vice president and later as president of the Republika Srpska during the war period from 1992 to 1995. During this period, she worked closely with other key figures of the era, such as Radovan Karadzic.

Trial and Conviction in The Hague

In a 2003 trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, following a plea agreement with the prosecution, she pleaded guilty to persecution as a crime against humanity. She was sentenced to 11 years in prison for this charge.

Prison Sentence and Release Process

Plavsic, who expressed remorse during the trial process but retracted those statements in later years, was granted early release in 2009 in consideration of her good behavior in prison.