Former Bosnian Serb Vice President Biljana Plavsic Dies at 96 in Belgrade

Biljana Plavsic, born in 1930 in Tuzla, was a prominent Bosnian Serb politician who held the vice-presidency of Republika Srpska during the 1992-95 conflict and later served as its second president. In 2003 the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia convicted her of persecution of Bosniaks, Croats and other non-Serbs, sentencing her to 11 years; she served part of the term in Sweden before being released in October 2009.

After returning to Belgrade she lived a quiet, non-political life, remained childless and divorced, and occasionally spoke to far-right or pro-Russian outlets. Plavsic was the sole woman ever indicted and convicted by the tribunal, later asserting that her guilty plea was a tactical move and that she bore no remorse. She died on Thursday at the age of 96.