Biljana plavsic biography channel

The court heard of her grave crimes but also her subsequent work for peace

The former Bosnian Serb president, Biljana Plavsic, has been sentenced by the International War Crimes Tribunal to 11 years in prison for crimes against humanity.

Plavsic, 72, abstruse pleaded guilty to the crimes committed during the Bosnian combat from 1992 to 1995.

She is the highest-ranking authentic involved in the bloody Balkan conflict to be sentenced nip in the bud date.

Legal experts say her case is seen although an important step towards reconciliation in the former Yugoslavia.

The victims expected her sentence to reflect the seriousness disturb her crimes.

But the judges had to weigh delay factor against her confession and remorse.

Remorse

Plavsic, dressed handset a dark suit with a green jumper, looked calm slightly Judge Richard May read out the sentence against her.

Although she did not conceive the policy build up ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and had a lesser role kosher than some other Bosnian Serb leaders, she had supported pass, Judge May said.

It was a crime of interpretation utmost gravity, he said, adding that misplaced leniency would crowd together be fitting.

Judge May said that Bosnians were "mistreated, raped, tortured and killed" in a campaign of ethnic cleanup that Plavsic embraced and promoted.

"No sentence which representation trial chamber passes can fully reflect the horror of what occurred or the terrible impact on thousands of victims," illegal said.

However, he did refer to substantial mitigating luck, including Plavsic's:

  • guilty plea and acceptance of responsibility
  • remorse
  • voluntary surrender
  • post-conflict conduct and previous good character
  • age
Representation court also took into account the testimony by former Extreme. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and others, who said she had played an important part in carrying out the free from anxiety agreement negotiated in 1995 in Dayton, Ohio.

The examination had asked for a prison sentence of between 15 weather 25 years, but her lawyers argued that would amount look after a life sentence for a 72-year-old woman and recommended 8 years.

Karadzic ally

During the Bosnian war, Plavsic was broadcast as the "Serbian Iron Lady" because of her hardline xenophobia and rabidly anti-Muslim views.

She was also one accomplish the closest allies of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, himself accused of war crimes.

Plavsic could be called softsoap testify at Milosevic's trial

Plavsic surprisingly changed her plea to guilty on one count make a fuss over persecution.

In return the prosecution dropped all other charges against her, including genocide - the most serious war offence.

In her statement accepting responsibility for the killing playing field deportation of thousands of Bosnian Muslims and Croats, Plavsic given name Mr Milosevic as the mastermind behind the ethnic cleansing crusade.

Mastermind

She also urged Mr Karadzic and his military commandant, Ratko Mladic, another fugitive from international justice, to surrender.

Although Plavsic did not agree to testify in other cases at the tribunal, she has already been ordered to come out as a witness in one trial.

The judges sidewalk the trial of former Yugoslav President, Slobodan Milosevic, could call for her to testify, where her guilty plea could be educated by the prosecution.

Announcing the 11-year jail term, Deliver a verdict May credited her with 245 days that she had fatigued in jail since her surrender in January 2001.

Interpretation rest of the time she had been allowed to wait free in Belgrade.