The United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, informally known as “The Mechanism” and based in The Hague, has again denied parole to the Bosnian Serb former Interior Minister Mico Stanisic. The former political official, sentenced to 22 years in prison for war crimes, would, according to the court, have shown no real signs of rehabilitation.
The president of the court, Judge Graciela Gatti Santana, emphasizes in her ruling that “Good conduct in prison is not enough on its own to demonstrate the rehabilitation of a person convicted of some of the most atrocious international crimes,” and adds that the new evidence provided by the defense “does not address in a sufficient manner the concerns relating to his lack of taking responsibility and critical reflection.”
During the Bosnia conflict between 1992 and 1995, Stanisic served as Interior Minister in the Republika Srpska, the Bosnia entity controlled by the Serbs. Later, in March 2005, he voluntarily surrendered to the Tribunal in The Hague.
The judicial proceedings against Stanisic began in September 2009 and were held jointly with those of his co-accused, Stojan Zupljanin, who during the war served as head of the regional police center in Banja Luka. Zupljanin was found guilty of persecution, murder, torture, and extermination.
In 2016, the Tribunal in The Hague issued a final sentence against Stanisic, imposing 22 years in prison for persecution, murder, and torture. The former minister had previously requested early release in November 2024, a request that was also rejected by the same international body.