Jailed Bosnian Serb Wartime Minister Asks Hague Tribunal for Early Release
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A lawyer for Bosnian Serb war criminal Mico Stanisic has asked the UN’s International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in The Hague to free the Bosnian Serb war crimes convict early.
Lawyer Slobodan Zecevic argued in a submission filed on November 18 that under the criminal code of Poland, where Stanisic is serving his sentence, prisoners can apply for early release after serving two-thirds of their jail time. He said that Stanisic acquired the right to seek his freedom on September 19 this year.
The request for early release states that, particularly considering the length of Stanisic’s sentence, “his behaviour shows a high level of resocialisation”.
“After almost 20 years since his voluntary surrender and more than 32 years since the crimes were committed, the sentence served so far has contributed not only to the elimination of the possibility of committing further crimes, but also to reconciliation in the community where they were committed,” it argues.
Stanisic was the wartime interior minister of Bosnia’s Serb-dominated entity Republika Srpska and was sentenced by the Hague Tribunal to 22 years in prison of persecution, murder and torture under a final verdict in 2016.
He was tried alongside Stojan Zupljanin, the wartime head of the regional police centre in Banja Luka. Zupljanin was convicted of persecution, murder, torture and extermination.
Lawyer Zecevic stated in his submission to the UN court that Stanisic has been serving his sentence in Poland alongside prisoners of different nationalities, with whom he maintains friendly relations. During his time in prison, he has not had any problems or been ordered to undergo any disciplinary procedures, according to the lawyer.
Stanisic voluntarily surrendered to the Hague Tribunal in March 2005. The trial started in September 2009 and the final verdict was confirmed in June 2016.
