Bilyana Plavshich Former President of the Bosnian Republika Srpska Date of Birth: 07.09.1930 Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Content:

1. Biography of Biljana Plavšić
2. Involvement in Nationalist Politics
3. Active Participation During the War
4. Presidency and Political Transformation
5. Legal Proceedings and Conviction

Biography of Biljana Plavšić

Early Life and Education

Biljana Plavšić, the former president of the Bosnian Serb Republic, was born on July 7, 1930, in Tuzla. She lived in the capital of Bosnia, Sarajevo, until 1992. Plavšić obtained a degree in biology and became a professor at the University of Zagreb. She was also a Fulbright scholar in the United States. Plavšić is divorced and does not have any children.

Involvement in Nationalist Politics

After the victory of nationalists in 1990, Plavšić became a member of the Serbian collective presidency. She was a close associate of Radovan Karadžić, the leader of the Bosnian Serbs, who led the Serbs into the war of 1992-1995 and is currently being sought by the UN Tribunal for war crimes.

Active Participation During the War

During the war from 1992 to 1995, Plavšić actively participated in the events. In 1992, a photograph was published capturing the moment when she stepped on the body of a deceased civilian Muslim and reached out to kiss the well-known Serbian military leader Željko Ražnatović, also known as Arkan. She received the title "Iron Lady" for her bold confrontation with Slobodan Milošević in 1994.

Presidency and Political Transformation

In 1996, Plavšić succeeded Karadžić as the president of the Bosnian Serb Republic. In 1997, she left the ranks of the ultra-nationalist Serbian Democratic Party and founded the Alliance of Serbian People. Plavšić changed her political views from far-right to pro-Western and established close relations with international structures in Bosnia. Her fight against corruption gained approval from the West.

Legal Proceedings and Conviction

In 1998, Plavšić suffered defeat in elections, and the ultra-nationalist Nikola Poplašen became the president. On January 11, 2001, she appeared before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, facing charges of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity.

Bosnia and herzegovi

Denis Becirovic	Nebojsa Radmanovic	Nikola Spiric
Bilyana Plavshich