The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) today sentenced Vojin Pavlović, president of the pro-Russian association Eastern Alternative from Bratunac, to two and a half years in prison for denying the genocide in Srebrenica and glorifying Ratko Mladić, convicted of war crimes in The Hague.
This is the first verdict in BiH for denying genocide and glorifying those convicted of war crimes, which are criminal offenses under the Criminal Code of BiH.
Pavlović was convicted for placing a banner with the image of Ratko Mladić, the wartime commander of the Army of Republika Srpska, and the message "Happy birthday, live and be healthy" at an intersection in Bratunac in March 2023.
The verdict states that Pavlović "is aware that by this action he is glorifying" Mladić, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague for genocide in Srebrenica and other crimes during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995.
Pavlović was also found guilty of justifying the genocide in Srebrenica by organizing a rally in Bratunac on July 11, 2023, for which he made posters with the inscription "July 11 - Srebrenica Liberation Day, Thank you to the Army of Republika Srpska". He posted these posters in the Bratunac municipality, which borders Srebrenica.
Neither Pavlović nor his defense attorney attended the pronouncement of the verdict, which can be appealed to the Appellate Chamber of the Court of BiH.
Last year, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring July 11th as the International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Srebrenica Genocide. The resolution, among other things, condemns the denial of the genocide and the glorification of those convicted of war crimes.
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