Biljana Plavšić, former Bosnian Serb leader, dies at 96

Biljana Plavšić, a former leader of the Bosnian Serbs and a prominent figure in the 1992–1995 Bosnian War, has died in Belgrade at the age of 96. Plavšić, who served as the Vice President of Republika Srpska alongside Radovan Karadžić, was a former biology professor at the University of Sarajevo before entering radical nationalist politics during the collapse of Yugoslavia.

Plavšić was convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague for crimes against humanity. She surrendered to international justice in 2001 and pleaded guilty to charges related to the persecution of non-Serbs. Her death follows the recent passing of Ratko Mladić.

Her political legacy remains a subject of intense debate in the Balkans. While she was a central figure in the establishment of Republika Srpska, her actions during the conflict led to significant territorial shifts and widespread condemnation for the persecution of non-Serb populations.