Simic Granted Early Release
Judges says defendant has expressed remorse for suffering he caused and engaged in humanitarian work.
Simic Granted Early Release
Judges says defendant has expressed remorse for suffering he caused and engaged in humanitarian work.
Convicted war criminal Blagoje Simic has been granted early release from prison, the Hague tribunal announced this week.
Simic, a medical doctor, was the highest ranking Bosnian Serb civilian official in the municipality of Bosanksi Samac during the Bosnian war. He was found to have aided and abetted the persecution of non-Serb civilians through unlawful arrests, forcible displacement and by subjecting prisoners to inhumane conditions.
In 2006, appeals judges reduced his sentence from 17 to 15 years, with credit for time served since his 2001 surrender to the tribunal. He was transferred to the United Kingdom in 2007 to serve the remainder of his sentence, as per an agreement between the tribunal and the UK government.
In the February 15 decision granting him early release – which was only issued publicly this week – tribunal president Judge Patrick Robinson noted that Simic was “employed in the catering department and wood machinery department of the detention facility and has received excellent reports on his work and attendance”.
In addition, Judge Robinson points to a January 2011 letter written by Simic, which states that he has learned English fluently and intends to return to his medical practice if released from prison. He will also “try to make an active contribution to reconciliation and the creation of good neighbourly relations” in Bosnia and “expresses regret for the victims of the war, especially for the victims of [his] political activity”.
While Judge Robinson expresses “concern” that Simic has attempted to “attenuate his individual criminal responsibility” by stating that he was trying to protect his country during a civil war, the judge notes that Simic has still “expressed remorse for the suffering he caused, has actively engaged in humanitarian work during his incarceration, and intends to return to the practice of medicine in order to contribute to his community”.
Blagoje was released from prison on March 16, at which time the confidentiality of the February decision was lifted.
Rachel Irwin is an IWPR reporter in The Hague.
