After a monument was unveiled in Capljina to Slobodan Praljak, a convicted war criminal, the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has opened a case, the institution confirmed.
The State Prosecutor’s Office reacted on Monday after a photograph from the unveiling of the monument in Capljina to Slobodan Praljak, a former Croatian Defense Council (HVO) military official who died after drinking poison during the sentencing in which he was found guilty of crimes in Herzegovina, spread over the weekend.
The photograph shows a monument with Praljak’s likeness carved in stone, inscribed with “Praljak, Croatian general,” the place and year of birth “Čapljina 1945,” and the year and place of death “The Hague 2017.”
The dedication on the stone reads, “When justice falls silent and demons dance, the warrior does not kneel or beg anyone. For ideals, he breathes his last breath with his life.” In a video available on social media, a friar’s speech can be heard blessing the monument.
“No one did as much for the Muslim people in every respect during the war as General Praljak did,” he said.
No one from the Diocese in Mostar nor from the Parish of Capljina responded to journalists’ inquiries before the publication of this text.
The President of the Association of Camp Detainees of Mostar, Emir Hajdarevic, said that he is disappointed with the work of the judiciary in BiH and that he expects the Prosecutor’s Office, after a certain period, will say that “unknown persons” erected the monument.
“The victims absolutely do not trust such a Prosecutor’s Office, nor the institutions that are supposed to administer justice in BiH. They do not enforce it, unfortunately, because they are under the influence of daily politics,” Hajdarevic said.
The Hague Tribunal in November 2017 convicted Praljak, together with five other high-ranking officials of the so-called Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia, and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. Praljak was the former Chief of Staff of the HVO. During the pronouncement of the verdict, Praljak drank poison and died the same day.
Amendments to the Criminal Code of BiH, imposed by the former High Representative in July 2021, made it punishable, by at least three years in prison, not only to deny genocide and other war crimes but also to grant awards, honors, monuments, or any memorials to a person convicted by a final verdict for genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes.
For Hajdarevic, the erection of the monument to Praljak reflects the state of the country in which war criminals are glorified and victims humiliated.
“Herzegovina is very often forgotten, as well as what daily politics do in that area. We live in a time when the criminal is a hero and the victim is something else. This is again a crime against the victims of Herzegovina committed in Capljina, which is known for the crimes of Gabela and Silos. None of those camps has been prosecuted, and that is why all this is happening,” Hajdarevic said, adding that due to the failure to prosecute crimes in Herzegovina, such cases will only become more frequent.
BiH media could not obtain a comment from the police of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (HNC) nor from the local authorities in Capljina.
