Former Serbian State Security Service (SDB) chief Jovica Stanišić, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for crimes committed in six municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and one location in Croatia, has requested early release and apologized for his crimes.
Stanišić’s submission to the Mechanism states that the proceedings against him began with his voluntary surrender and first appearance before the ICTY in June 2003.
The request states that as of March 10 this year, Stanišić had spent a total of approximately 3,650 days, or ten years, in detention, representing two-thirds of the sentence imposed.
-Stanišić is not asking for sympathy, but only for some understanding and a little mercy. He is 76 years old and in failing health. Early release would allow him a small but invaluable last period of life at home with his wife and son and in his community. In contrast, rejecting this request would most likely condemn him to a solitary death in a remote prison, the request states, BIRN reports.
His legal representatives stated that in this case, the crimes committed within the framework of a joint criminal enterprise (JCE) were undoubtedly serious, but the acts for which Stanisic was convicted fall into the lower range of gravity compared to those convicted on the basis of JCE liability before the Hague Tribunal.
-During the court proceedings that lasted more than 20 years, Stanisic was acquitted of most of the factual allegations in the indictment. Accordingly, the gravity of the crimes for which he was convicted is reflected in a sentence that is only three years longer than his original conviction for aiding and abetting, and is lower than that of most persons convicted before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the Joint Criminal Enterprise Mechanism,” the request states. It also states that while Stanišić acknowledges the seriousness of his acts and their grave impact on the victims, it is important to note that the gravity of those acts and the contribution for which he was convicted is at the lowest level compared to most other persons granted early release.
Stanišić also stated that although crimes were committed on all sides of the conflict, those that he found most difficult were those committed by members of the Serb people, especially those that he justified as “retribution for crimes committed against my people in the past”.
Stanišić also stated that he respects and accepts the verdict.
-I believe that there is still a significant number of those — and not only among my people — who respect my contribution to the peaceful and civilized resolution of the conflict in the former Yugoslavia – stated Stanišić.
Legal representatives stated that Stanišić would respect any condition that would prohibit him from making any media or public or political statements regarding his crimes or any aspect of the conflict, and would act according to the instructions of the Mechanism in order to promote peace and reconciliation.
-He has always fully accepted that Serbs committed crimes against innocent victims and has no intention of denying that truth now or in the future. Indeed, he accepts that the crimes committed by Serbs were committed and that they represented a tragedy for the Croat and Bosnian victims, as well as for Serbia – his legal representatives explained.
During the trial and detention, it is explained, Stanišić has shown exemplary behavior. Given his current health condition, the objectives of his release are predominantly personal in nature.
-However, he remains ready and able to cooperate with international institutions and intelligence and security services in order to contribute his expertise in support of any peace and security efforts proposed by the Mechanism or the international community – it is stated, and that he is ready to respect the conditions attached to his release, including, but not limited to, reporting obligations, movement restrictions, surveillance measures and refraining from contact with the media.
Stanisic was tried with Franko Simatovic, the former head of the Serbian State Security Service, also sentenced to 15 years in prison, and their verdict was handed down by the Mechanism’s Appellate Chamber in May 2023.
Last year, the Detektor reported that Stanisic had been transferred to Germany, where he will serve the remainder of his prison sentence, BIRN reported.
