Former commander of the Drina Corps of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS), Radislav Krstić, who was sentenced to 35 years in prison for aiding and abetting the genocide in Srebrenica, has requested early release from the International Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IMCT).
Radislav Krstić, convicted of aiding and abetting genocide during the crimes in Srebrenica, filed a request for early release on 19 January 2024. In his request, Krstić comments on documents he received on 10 June this year, including memoranda from the deputy doctor of the United Nations Detention Unit (UNDU) and the commander.
He confirmed that he accepts these documents without objection and expresses gratitude for the professional treatment he received at the UNDU. He also attached a statement in which he fully accepts responsibility for his crimes, in particular genocide, and expresses remorse.
Krstić cites his deteriorating health in his letter, citing medical and psychological assessments, and asks the President of the Court to take into account his physical and mental condition. He emphasizes his acceptance of his guilt, including his conviction for aiding and abetting genocide.
Along with the letter, in which he expresses his remorse, he sent a request to visit Potočari to pay his respects to the victims, which could have a significant impact on the reconciliation process in the former Yugoslavia.
He requested his release, among other things, on the basis of his confession, but also on his deteriorating health and the years he had served in prison.
Although he is aware that the response to his request could be both positive and negative, he concluded his letter with the words: “In the end, if I live, if one day I am released, if the President of the Mechanism agrees, if the families of the victims allow it, I would like to find myself in Potočari once more in my life, to bow to the victims and ask for forgiveness.”
Krstić concluded that he was ready to accept any conditions for early release that may be imposed and asked that his request be approved.
He stressed that the decision could be positive or negative, saying that it could be negative “due to a serious crime that is unforgivable.”
“However, whatever the decision, I ask that this letter of mine be made public, so that as many people as possible in the country I am from can hear my words, so that perhaps my words encourage at least someone to think about the terrible crime in which I participated, about the punishment that followed, about the deep, painful, but belated remorse that I have been living with for decades,” the letter reads.
Krstić was sentenced to 35 years in prison by the Hague Tribunal in 2004 for aiding and abetting the genocide in Srebrenica. At the end of that year he was sent to England to serve his sentence, but was attacked in prison there, after which he was returned to The Hague, and then sent to Poland to serve the rest of his sentence.
His request for early release was repeatedly denied, Fena reports.
