Posted on 12/18/2002 10:56:51 PM PST by Incorrigible
Serbs' 'Iron Lady' regrets ethnic acts
Wednesday, December 18, 2002
BY SUSANNA LOOF
Associated Press
THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- In a statement of deep contrition, a former president of the Bosnian Serb republic told the U.N. war crimes tribunal she will always regret "soiling" the reputation of the Serb people and urged the court to pass a sentence that will bring justice both for her and all war victims.
Biljana Plavsic, the first high-ranking Bosnian politician to plead guilty to ethnically motivated war crimes, stood before her three judges and accepted responsibility for her part in the persecution of Muslims and Croats during the 1992-95 war.
"This responsibility is mine and mine alone," she said, admitting she failed her people and her country. "The knowledge that I'm responsible for such human suffering and for soiling the character of my people will always be with me."
Plavsic, 72, was indicted for planning the "ethnic cleansing" of non-Serbs from Serb-dominated areas of Bosnia when she was the deputy of wartime leader Radovan Karadzic, who is now the tribunal's most wanted fugitive.
Speaking after former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and other high-profile witnesses gave character testimony, Plavsic said her wartime actions were driven by "blinding fear" that Serbs would become victims. But in their defensive zeal, she said, the Serbs became the "victimizers."
"In this, we in the leadership violated the most basic duty of every human being -- the duty to restrain oneself and to respect the human dignity of others," she said, reading from a prepared statement in an even, passionless tone.
"You must strive in your judgment to find whatever justice this world can offer, not only for me, but also for the innocent victims of this war," she told the judges, who are due to hand down her sentence next year.
Plavsic pleaded guilty to one count of persecution, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. In exchange, prosecutors dropped seven other war crimes charges, including two counts of genocide. She has not agreed to testify against other suspects, including former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, who also is on trial at the tribunal.
Although Plavsic, a onetime science professor, had previously issued statements of remorse, it was the first time she spoke in her own voice of her culpability.
The statement lacked any direct apology to non-Serbs, and her strongest regret was for her own Serb people. But she said she hoped her actions would "help the Muslim, Croat, and even Serb victims not to be overtaken with bitterness, which often becomes hatred and is, in the end, self destructive."
The so-called "Iron Lady" of the Balkans was deputy to Karadzic during the Bosnian war and took over from him when he was forced from office in 1996. She broke with him a year later and campaigned with the West's support to oust his hard-line allies.
Earlier yesterday, Albright told the U.N. judges that Plavsic's admission of guilt and her remorse lent legitimacy to the judicial process against war criminals. Other political leaders, including Milosevic, have rejected the court's authority.
"We have to show respect for those who have pleaded guilty, who have in fact accepted that responsibility and are ready to take the punishment," Albright said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Not for commercial use. For educational and discussion purposes only.
Pedal in Peace- Cycling Challenge for the Children of Serbia
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.