MADAM WAR CRIMINAL
Biljana Plavšić, Serbia’s Iron Lady
Genre:
Biography & Memoir, Economy & Politics, History
Author:
Olivera Simić
Publisher:
Hurst
Language:
AUTHOR BIO:
Olivera Simić is Professor at Griffith University’s Law School, specialising in transitional justice, international law, gender and crime. She has authored or co-edited twelve books. Her latest, Lola’s War: Rape Without Punishment, about sexual violence in the Yugoslav Wars, was shortlisted for the Australian Legal Research Book Award.
Pages:
384
Publication:
Rights available:
French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish
DESCRIPTION:
A tale of violent terror and chilling unrepentance, from the only woman convicted of crimes against humanity in the Bosnian War.
In 2001, Biljana Plavšić made history: she became the only female political leader ever prosecuted for mass atrocities. She was the one woman among 161 indictees at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia—and the first since Nuremberg to be convicted by an international court.
Charged with genocide and crimes against humanity, Plavšić took a plea bargain. Just one other Bosnian Serb politician at her level was sentenced: Radovan Karadžić himself, President to Plavšić’s Vice-President in the autonomous Republika Srpska. Yet before the conflict, Plavšić had been a globally renowned scientist at the University of Sarajevo, penning journal articles and serving as faculty dean.
This gripping book revolves around hundreds of hours of interviews with a stridently unrepentant war criminal—now in her 90s, and a free woman. How did this biology professor end up heading a vengeful ethno-nationalist movement that murdered tens of thousands?
REVIEWS:
‘Fascinating and terrifying.’ — The Irish Independent ‘A fascinating, insightful and thought-provoking book which takes you into the mind of the only woman convicted by the Yugoslavia tribunal. It is beautifully written … and is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in the causes of mass violence.’ — Alette Smeulers, Professor in International Crimes, University of Groningen, and author of Perpetrators of Mass Atrocities: Terribly and Terrifyingly Normal? ‘Based on hours of candid interviews with Biljana Plavšić, Simić presents a multi-faceted and layered account of a strong woman in conflict, war, and when facing justice. This is an achievement on a par with Gitta Sereny’s biography of Albert Speer, enhancing our understanding of war, violence and guilt.’ — Susanne Karstedt, Profe...
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