Condemnations for Glorifying and Erecting a Monument to War Criminal Slobodan Praljak in Čapljina

(Patria) - The Institute for Research of Genocide Canada (IGC) strongly condemns the event held on November 2, 2025 in Čapljina, during which the character and deeds of the finally convicted war criminal Slobodan Praljak were glorified and a memorial was unveiled in his honor.

Despite the verdicts of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the courts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Čapljina a person convicted of the most serious crimes against humanity was openly celebrated. The event was marked by the display of an illegal flag and an unconstitutional coat of arms, which represents an additional blow to the constitutional order of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Such an act is a gross humiliation of all victims of the joint criminal enterprise and aggression of the Republic of Croatia against Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as a direct violation of the laws of our state. Article 145a of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina clearly stipulates that anyone who "awards recognition, a prize, a medal, any kind of reminder or any privilege to a person finally convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes, or in any way glorifies such a person" shall be punished by imprisonment for at least three years.

The IGC warns that the event in Čapljina is not only a violation of the law, but also an open insult to international verdicts and incitement to national and religious hatred, thereby endangering public order and peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region. It is particularly concerning that this anti-civilizational act represents a deeply inhumane act towards the victims of the joint criminal enterprise.

We remind that crimes against the Bosniak population were an integral part of the joint criminal enterprise of Croatia and the para-state of Herzeg-Bosnia. In the verdicts for the so-called "Hague Six", the Trial and Appeals Chambers of the Hague Tribunal, applying strict international legal standards, established that Herzeg-Bosnia was the result of aggression and a joint criminal enterprise aimed at creating a Croatian entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina and annexing it to Croatia. On that basis, serious crimes were committed against Bosniaks, which are established legal facts recognized by the international community — except, apparently, by part of the political establishment in Čapljina.

Bearing in mind the aforementioned facts, as well as the final verdict for the Hague Six, the legal team of the IGC is considering filing a criminal complaint against the organizers and financiers of the event and the memorial in Čapljina.

The IGC will request an urgent response from the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Prosecutor's Office of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Prosecutor's Office of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, as well as the competent police authorities. We also call on the legislative and executive bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to clearly and publicly condemn this act.

The IGC has informed the Government of Canada, Canadian institutions and human rights organizations about everything.