The Hague Tribunal has denied former Bosnian Croat leader Jadranko Prlić’s request for parole after he completed two-thirds of a 25-year sentence for crimes against Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1993 and 1994.

Prlić has been incarcerated since April 2004, when he voluntarily turned himself in to the Hague Tribunal. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2017 and was transferred to the United Kingdom to continue serving his sentence in 2019.

Having served two-thirds of his sentence as of April last year, Prlić was eligible for consideration of an early release request, although this does not guarantee approval.

Current statements from the court indicate that Prlić is serving his sentence at a facility on the Isle of Wight, which also houses Radovan Karadžić, the former President of Republika Srpska, who is serving a life sentence for genocide and war crimes against Muslims from 1992 to 1995.

In the ruling to deny Prlić’s request, court president Graciela Gatti noted that he acknowledged his responsibility for the severe crimes against Muslims and expressed regret and condolences to the victims’ families.

However, Judge Santana asserted that this acknowledgment isn’t sufficient for an early release, as Prlić’s admission is too vague and lacks sincerity, lacking a thorough reflection on his actions.

The severity of Prlić’s convicted crimes played a crucial role in the decision to deny his release.

Judge Santana stressed that Prlić was found guilty as a key figure in a joint criminal enterprise aimed at persecuting Bosnian Muslims to “unite the Croatian people” within the borders of Banovina from 1939.

The president of Croatia at that time, Franjo Tuđman, was identified as the leader of this criminal organization.

As the wartime Prime Minister of the proclaimed Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosna, Prlić was convicted of serious offenses including murder, rape, deportation, inhumane treatment, unlawful imprisonment, and various acts of violence against civilians and cultural sites.

These heinous acts have been categorized as crimes against humanity, violations of the laws and customs of war, and significant breaches of the Geneva Conventions, committed against Muslims in Mostar and seven other municipalities located in western Herzegovina.

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