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Biljana Plavšić, former Republika Srpska President, dies at 96
Biljana Plavšić, the former President of Republika Srpska and a convicted war criminal, has died in Belgrade at the age of 96. She passed away on October 1, 2026. Her funeral and commemoration are scheduled to take place in Banja Luka on Tuesday, October 6.
A biologist and academic by training, Plavšić transitioned into politics in the early 1990s. She served as a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and later as the President of Republika Srpska from 1996 to 1998.
In 2001, she voluntarily surrendered to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague. In 2003, she pleaded guilty to crimes against humanity, specifically regarding the persecution of non-Serbs on political, racial, and religious grounds during the Bosnian War. She was sentenced to 11 years in prison, serving much of her term in Sweden before being released in October 2009.
While some political figures in Bosnia and Herzegovina have highlighted her role in the establishment of Republika Srpska, others have emphasized her responsibility for the ethnic cleansing and displacement of thousands of civilians during the conflict.
Entities
Belgrade · Biljana Plavšić · International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia · Milorad Dodik · Radovan Karadžić · Republika Srpska
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 6 SOURCES] She was released from prison in October 2009. n1info.si · cnn.iprima.cz · www.metropolitan.si · bosnainfo.ba · prijedor24h.net · +1 more
- [● 8 SOURCES] She served as the President of Republika Srpska from 1996 to 1998. n1info.si · bigportal.ba · cnn.iprima.cz · www.metropolitan.si · prijedor24h.net · +3 more
- [● 13 SOURCES] Biljana Plavšić died in Belgrade at the age of 96. n1info.si · bigportal.ba · cnn.iprima.cz · www.metropolitan.si · www.index.hr · +8 more
- [● 5 SOURCES] She served most of her prison sentence in Sweden. n1info.si · cnn.iprima.cz · www.metropolitan.si · prijedor24h.net · www.oslobodjenje.ba
- [● 6 SOURCES] She was a doctor of biological sciences. n1info.si · bigportal.ba · cnn.iprima.cz · prijedor24h.net · rtv-kd.com · +1 more
- [● 9 SOURCES] The ICTY convicted her of crimes against humanity. n1info.si · cnn.iprima.cz · www.metropolitan.si · bosnainfo.ba · prijedor24h.net · +4 more
- [○ 1 SOURCE] She was the only woman convicted of war crimes by the ICTY. www.index.hr
- [● 9 SOURCES] She was sentenced to 11 years in prison. n1info.si · cnn.iprima.cz · www.metropolitan.si · bosnainfo.ba · prijedor24h.net · +4 more