Biljana Plavšić, a senior member of the wartime Bosnian Serb leadership and President of Republika Srpska from 1996 to 1998, has died.
In 2003, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia sentenced her to 11 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to persecution on political, racial and religious grounds—a crime against humanity. The Tribunal documented her participation in the persecution of Bosniaks, Bosnian Croats and other non-Serb communities across 37 municipalities.
Her death must not overshadow the victims or diminish the gravity of these crimes.
The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995 claimed around 100,000 lives and displaced more than two million people. An estimated 20,000 to 50,000 women and girls were raped, leaving lasting trauma for survivors, their families and communities.
In the final year of the war, Bosnian Serb forces committed genocide in Srebrenica. In July 1995, more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were murdered in what the United Nations describes as Europe’s worst atrocity since the Second World War. International courts confirmed that these killings constituted genocide.
For many families within BH UK Network, this history is deeply personal. They lost loved ones, survived persecution and displacement, and rebuilt their lives here in the United Kingdom.
For 30 years, our organisation has supported communities affected by war and displacement. We remain committed to preserving the truth, honouring victims and ensuring that younger generations understand what happened in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The death of a convicted perpetrator does not erase responsibility or end the suffering of survivors. Lasting peace requires truth, justice and accountability. There must be no place for genocide denial or the glorification of convicted war criminals.
Today, our thoughts are with the victims, survivors and all families still searching for their loved ones.
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