The Hague convict Jadranko Prlić has once again requested early release. He and his defense submitted the request to the President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), Graciela Gatti Santana, containing details about his life while serving his sentence in Great Britain.
According to Raport reports, the document submitted to the Mechanism consists of 22 pages. In it, the defense cites Prlić’s behavior during his stay at HMP Isle of Wight prison, where he has been serving his sentence since 2019, as one of the main arguments for early release.
The request states that during his prison stay, Prlić performed multiple functions related to the life of the prison community and participated in various activities. His lawyer, Steven W. Becker, particularly highlighted his engagement in the fields of equality, religious life, and support for other prisoners.
Function of Representative for Equality
According to the defense, prisoners nominated Prlić as a representative for equality within the prison community, which was approved by the prison administration.
In this role, as stated in the request, he participates in activities and forums dealing with diversity and inclusion. Special attention in the document was paid to ethnic minorities, foreign nationals, LGBT individuals, young adult prisoners, and people over 50.
Prlić, as stated by the defense, was also elected as a religious representative in his prison block, which houses around 80 convicts of various faiths. The request claims that this role obliges him to communicate with other prisoners regarding religious practices and to ensure equal conditions for members of different religions, including Muslim prisoners.
Engagement in the Prison Gym
The defense cited Prlić’s work in the prison gym as an additional circumstance. Although, under prison rules, he was exempt from the obligation to work as a person who reached retirement age, the request states that he works full-time as a gym orderly.
Becker emphasized that this position requires a certain level of security clearance. According to him, during his work in the gym, Prlić designed and initiated a recreation and exercise program intended for elderly prisoners and retirees, referred to in the document as “Oldies”.
According to the request, Prlić is also a member of the Prison Council, a body that communicates with the facility’s administration and advocates for the prisoners’ interests in daily life matters. The document also states that he launched an initiative to publish a prison art magazine and completed a journalism course.
Defense Invokes His Role in Dayton
One of the arguments used by the defense in the request refers to Prlić’s political role during the negotiations in Dayton in 1995. His lawyer claims that Prlić, the then Minister of Defense, participated alongside Alija Izetbegović in the process that led to the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement.
Prlić’s personal letter addressed to the President of the Mechanism, Graciela Gatti Santana, drew particular attention.
In the letter, he stated that he accepts the factual and legal findings from the judgments convicting him, including findings relating to ethnic cleansing and crimes committed against the Bosniak population across multiple locations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In his letter, Prlić listed Mostar, Stupni Do, Sovićiand Doljani, Prozor, Gornji Vakuf, Vareš, Stolac, Ljubuški, and Čapljina, as well as several detention facilities, including Heliodrom, Dretelj, and Gabela.
In the letter, according to published content, he also accepted his responsibility within the findings of the Joint Criminal Enterprise. “I accept all factual and legal findings in my judgments.”
Prlić further stated that he accepts the findings on murder, unlawful confinement, torture, inhumane treatment, persecution, destruction and appropriation of property, plunder, and destruction of cultural and religious institutions.
The letter also notes that he accepts personal responsibility established in his judgments on the basis of the Joint Criminal Enterprise, linking it to his words, acts, decisions, and omissions while performing high-level functions in the structures of the HVO or the so-called Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia.
Serving His Sentence in Great Britain
During the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jadranko Prlić held several senior political and military positions. He was the President of the HVO and Prime Minister of the so-called Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia. After the war, he served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and was a Member of Parliament.
After receiving the indictment from the Hague Tribunal in 2004, he surrendered to the court. The trial began in 2006.
The first-instance verdict in 2013 sentenced Prlić to 25 years in prison, and the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia confirmed the conviction and sentence in 2017. He was found guilty of crimes against humanity, violations of the laws or customs of war, and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, committed within the framework of a joint criminal enterprise.
Prlić is serving his sentence at HMP Isle of Wight prison in Great Britain. His sentence includes time spent in detention, and according to data in the request, the sentence is set to expire on April 5, 2029.
Life in Zagreb
Should the request for early release be accepted, the defense provided the Mechanism with information regarding Prlić’s plans after release. According to the request, Prlić does not plan to return to Bosnia and Herzegovina. He plans to live in Zagreb with his wife, close to his daughters and six grandchildren, and according to the plan presented by the defense, he would live on his pension.
The decision on the request for early release is to be made by the President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals.
