Radislav Krstić, the former commander of the Drina Corps of the Army of Republika Srpska, has been transferred to Estonia to continue serving his prison sentence for genocide, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals announced on April 10.
Krstić was convicted by the Hague Tribunal of genocide against more than 8,000 Bosniaks in Srebrenica, as well as persecution as a crime against humanity and murder.
He was arrested on December 2, 1998, and transferred to detention in The Hague. In April 2004, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison, and later that year, he was moved to the United Kingdom to serve his sentence.
While imprisoned in Britain, Krstić was assaulted by fellow inmates and suffered injuries, prompting his transfer to Poland in 2013. After serving two-thirds of his sentence in Poland, he was returned to The Hague in November 2023, as Polish law mandated his release.
Following this, the Estonian government informed the court it was willing to accept Krstić to continue his sentence, which is set to end on November 23, 2033, said Graciela Gatti Santana, president of the Mechanism that succeeded the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
Krstić was the first individual convicted of genocide committed in Srebrenica in July 1995.
Throughout his imprisonment, Krstić has repeatedly sought pardon and early release, but these requests were rejected by Gatti Santana.
In his latest petition, Krstić admitted responsibility for the genocide, stating he knew “some members of the General Staff intended to commit genocide” and that “they did not have enough forces to carry out executions” without involving the Drina Corps, which he commanded at the time.
“If I am ever released and if the president of the Mechanism agrees, and if the families of the victims allow it, I want to go to Potočari once in my life, to bow before the victims and ask for forgiveness,” Krstić wrote.
Krstić, now 76, cited severe health issues in his request to the court, including chronic illnesses, vascular problems, atrophy following the amputation of his leg, anemia, high cholesterol, and serious heart problems.
“I am not convinced that he has been sufficiently rehabilitated,” Gatti Santana stated when rejecting his early release request in February this year.
The Army of Republika Srpska killed over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys in July 1995. To date, more than 50 individuals have been sentenced to nearly 700 years in prison for genocide and other crimes committed in the Srebrenica region.
Among those convicted are Radovan Karadžić, the former president of Republika Srpska, and Ratko Mladić, the commander of its army, both sentenced to life imprisonment.
