Story perspectives

Biljana Plavšic Dies at 96, Aged 96

By Drooid · Oct 4, 2026, 11:21 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Biljana Plavsic Dies

Former Bosnian Serb leader Biljana Plavsic died in Belgrade on October 1, 2026, aged 96.
She led Republika Srpska from September 1996 to November 1998 and received an 11-year persecution sentence in 2003.
Plavsic served her term in Sweden and was released in October 2009 after completing two-thirds.
Plavsic apologized for persecuting non-Serbs in 2002 but later recanted, claiming she did nothing wrong.
Milorad Dodik and officials praised her service and scheduled a funeral in Banja Luka.

Summary

Dodik Defends Plavsic

Milorad Dodik said Biljana Plavšic was completely unjustly tried before the Hague Tribunal.
He made the remarks to reporters in Kozara while discussing her legacy.
Prime Minister Savo Minic declared her political career will remain part of Republika Srpska’s history.
The Republika Srpska Government’s Public Relations Bureau released Minic’s condolence message to her family.
Minic said she belonged to a generation that created Republika Srpska’s institutions during complex times.

History

Historical Context

The UN created the ICTY on 25 May 1993 to try war crimes from the 1991-1995 Yugoslav wars. It indicted 161 people, began prosecutions in 1995, and delivered landmark sentences such as Radovan Karadžic’s 40-year term in 2016 and Biljana Plavšic’s 2003 conviction. Those precedents now fuel Republika Srpska leader Milorad Dodik’s challenge to the tribunal’s legitimacy.

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Biljana Plavsic Dies

Former Bosnian Serb leader Biljana Plavsic died in Belgrade on October 1, 2026, aged 96.
She led Republika Srpska from September 1996 to November 1998 and received an 11-year persecution sentence in 2003.
Plavsic served her term in Sweden and was released in October 2009 after completing two-thirds.
Plavsic apologized for persecuting non-Serbs in 2002 but later recanted, claiming she did nothing wrong.
Milorad Dodik and officials praised her service and scheduled a funeral in Banja Luka.

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