Convictions do not go away after a prison sentence has been served. War crimes cannot be undone, it was announced from the office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“The fact that someone has served a sentence does not mean that these crimes have disappeared, but that the individual has been punished for his criminal responsibility,” the statement said.
The statement added that the High Representative expects a real commitment from politicians to promote reconciliation by acknowledging the suffering of the victims and the sentences imposed.
“The High Representative is sure that the international community and the vast majority of people in Bosnia and Herzegovina share this clear position,” OHR said.
OHR’s statement followed after the president of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lidija Bradara, said that “a convict who has served a sentence for any crime, I guess ceases to be a war crime convict”, commenting on his friendship with Darija Kordić, a convicted war criminal.
