BOSNIA DEMANDS FROM SWEDEN NOT TO ALLOW EARLY RELEASE OF SERBIAN WAR CRIMINAL BILJANA PLAVSIC FROM PRISON

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (September 9,2008) - A member of the Bosnian State Presidency Željko Komšić has urged Sweden yesterday not to allow the early release of Serbian war criminal Biljana Plavšić,who was convicted for war crimes committed during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia.

Bosnian State Presidency Member Željko Komšić sent a letter to Pero Westerberg, the Parliament President of Sweden, and Frederik Reinfeldt, the Prime Minister of Sweden, of the following content:

"In the Swedish prison Hinseberg, since 23.06.2003, Biljana Plavšić has been serving her eleven-year long sentence convicted by ICTY for being a member of the top war leadership of the Bosnian Serbs, for the worst crimes committed against humanity. She participated in planning, creation and implementation of persecution and destruction of the Bosniacs, the Croats and other non-Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I possess information about the possibility that after serving 2/3 of the punishment, the competent judicial organs of the Kingdom of Sweden could accept the prisoner’s request for shortening the sentence, i.e. a pardon her and forward it to ICTY.

As a Member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency, but also personally, I think that, given the gravity of the acts for which she has been convicted, and because of her reported unwillingness to have any further cooperation with the ICTY in other cases, any act of mercy toward the mentioned person would be a great mistake and an insult for the families of the victims of the criminal enterprise in which she took part for which she has been convicted.

In addition to the committed genocide in the Srebrenica area, more than 100,000 killed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, hundreds of thousands of wounded and thousands of raped women are a direct result of Biljana Plavšić’s activities, as well as the fact that there are more than 13,000 persons currently missing in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

One should especially bear in mind the fact that 60,000 citizens originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina currently live and work in the Kingdom of Sweden, majority of them had had to leave the country because of the prisoner’s war engagement.

I am of the opinion that all this does not leave any ethical possibility for displaying any act of mercy toward the prisoner, for the competent organs of the Kingdom of Sweden.

I hope that you will respect my opinion on this matter and in this way contribute to the enhancement and improvement of the traditionally friendly relations between our two countries.”

Serbian fascist Biljana Plavsic, 78, was indicted and tried by The Hague Tribunal. In 2002, she plea bargained and was convicted to a shamefully low sentence of 11 years in jail for crimes against humanity.

As part of Serbian war criminal Biljana Plavsic’s plea deal, she laid the blame for the genocide committed during the 1992-95 Serbian aggression against Bosnia on the late former Yugoslav president,Serbian war criminal Slobodan Milosevic, and on former leaders of the Serbians living in Bosnia,Serbian war criminals Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic.

A month ago, a group of Serbian fascist launched an appeal to the Hague Tribunal and Swedish authorities for Serbian war criminal Plavsic’s early release on the basis of her age and the period she has already spent in the jail. This plea was also backed by the leader of the genocidal Serbian creature in Bosnia "RS",Serban fascist Milorad Dodik, who even visisted her in her cell less than a month ago.

In 2009, the convicted Serbian war criminal Biljana Plavsic will serve two-thirds of her sentence, after which Swedish laws allow an early release of prisoners in case of their good behaviour. However,Komsic’s letter could block this move.
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