The former Minister of Defense of the self-proclaimed Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia, Bruno Stojic, who was sentenced in The Hague to 20 years in prison for war crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), has been released from an Austrian prison on early parole. Stojic had repeatedly requested release from the Mechanism, but his requests had been denied. The last one he submitted was in January of this year.
In an earlier address to the court, Stojic expressed regret for the suffering of the victims, accepted responsibility, and expressed his sincerest remorse. The victims’ associations called Stojic’s release a deep insult and a moral defeat of justice.
The list of crimes committed by the political and military leadership of the self-proclaimed Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia is quite long, and six Hague convicts were sentenced to a total of 111 years in prison. Bruno Stojic, the Minister of Defense, was sentenced to 20 years, and taking into account the years spent in detention, he has met the conditions for early release. Stojic, let us note, stated in a letter a few years ago that he apologized to the victims and families of the killed, saying that the verdict by which he was convicted was based on actions and on what he had done.
“We will see whether he will stand by that position or will act like all the others who were released, who said one thing before release, and after release denied everything they were charged with in the verdict itself,” says Murat Tahirovic, president of the Association of Victims and Witnesses of Genocide.
“It is clear that there will be a certain type of monitoring and supervision in the context of whether there will be any denial of crimes or attacks on the institutions of international justice, and I think that is very positive,” emphasizes the executive director of BIRN BiH, Denis Dzidic.
Let us recall the statements of the convicted war criminal Dario Kordic from a few years ago, who told those gathered that everything had been worth it and that he would do it all again. Such statements raise doubts among the families of victims and give enough reason for such events to be followed with particular attention. And the recent unveiling of a monument to the war criminal Slobodan Praljak is an additional reason.
“That is punishable by law. The mere glorification of that person is a criminal offense. You do not have to prove anything else. That means that the acting prosecutors can resolve that case within a few hours,” stresses Dzidic.
Have we, as a society, undergone catharsis, or do we remain a place where the highest political officials believe that the label of war criminal disappears once the sentence is served?
“I am afraid that we are still not ready to enter a new chapter of awareness, responsibility, and acceptance of facts,” concludes Tahirovic.
It should be recalled that in November 2017, Stojic and five other former officials of the self-proclaimed Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia were sentenced to a total of 111 years in prison for crimes committed in BiH, including participation in a joint criminal enterprise.
