Slobodan Praljak

Slobodan Praljak
Praljak in 2017
Born(1945-01-02)2 January 1945
Čapljina, Yugoslavia (Now Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Died29 November 2017(2017-11-29) (aged 72)
The Hague, Netherlands
Buried
Cremated in Zagreb, Croatia
Allegiance
Service / branch
Years of service1991–1995
RankGeneral
Battles / wars
Spouse(s)Kaćuša Babić
Other workProfessor, film and theatre director, businessman, writer
Cause of deathSuicide by cyanide poisoning

Slobodan Praljak (Croatian pronunciation: [slobǒdan prǎːʎak]; 2 January 1945 – 29 November 2017) was a Bosnian Croat war criminal who served in the Croatian Army and the Croatian Defence Council, an army of the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia, between 1992 and 1995. Praljak was found guilty of committing violations of the laws of war, crimes against humanity, and breaches of the Geneva Conventions during the Croat–Bosniak War by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in 2017.[1]

Praljak voluntarily joined the newly formed Croatian Armed Forces after the outbreak of the Croatian War of Independence in 1991. Before and after the war he was an engineer, a television and theatre director, and a businessman.[2][3] Praljak was indicted by, and voluntarily surrendered to, the ICTY in 2004.[4] In 2013, he was convicted for war crimes against the Bosniak population during the Croat–Bosniak War alongside five other Bosnian Croat officials,[5][6] and was sentenced to 20 years in jail (minus the time he had already spent in detention).[7] Upon hearing the guilty verdict upheld in November 2017, Praljak stated that he rejected the verdict of the court, and fatally poisoned himself in the courtroom.[8][9]

  1. ^ "Trial Judgement Summary for Prlić et al" (PDF). International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  2. ^ Radoš, Ivica (29 November 2017). "Tko je bio Slobodan Praljak? Slao je oružje Bošnjacima u opkoljeno Sarajevo" [Who was Slobodan Praljak? He sent weapons to Bosnians in the besieged Sarajevo]. Večernji list (in Serbo-Croatian). Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  3. ^ Andrey Shary (30 November 2017). "The Poisoned General". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  4. ^ "Slobodan Praljak". Trial International. 6 May 2016. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  5. ^ "Prlic et al. Initial Indictment". International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. 2 March 2004.
  6. ^ "'I am not a war criminal,' convicted Bosnian Croat cries as he takes a fatal dose of poison". Los Angeles Times. 29 November 2017. Archived from the original on 16 September 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2017. Ironically, Praljak, who surrendered to the tribunal in April 2004 and had already been jailed for 13 years, could have soon walked free because those who are convicted are generally released after serving two-thirds of their sentences.
  7. ^ Corder, Mike (29 May 2013). "UN war crimes tribunal convicts 6 Bosnian Croats of persecution of Muslims during Bosnian war". News1130.
  8. ^ "Statement on passing of Slobodan Praljak". International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  9. ^ "Preliminary results autopsy Slobodan Praljak". Public Prosecution Service (Netherlands). Archived from the original on 3 December 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2017.