Bosnian Court Confirms Indictment of Petar Barbaric, 90
Bosnian prosecutors charge Petar Barbaric over a speech in Capljina that, according to the indictment, glorified Slobodan Praljak. The investigation into the monument continues.
The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has confirmed an indictment against Petar (Bonifacije) Barbaric, a 90-year-old citizen of Bosnia and Croatia, over a speech in which, according to the prosecution, he glorified Slobodan Praljak, who was convicted of war crimes in The Hague. The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina announced the decision on October 8. The case comes from a neighboring country and rests on a ruling by the Hague Tribunal.
What is Petar Barbaric charged with?
Barbaric was born in 1936 in Ljubuski. The Prosecutor’s Office filed the indictment and the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina confirmed it. According to the indictment, on November 2, 2025, he gave a speech at the local cemetery in Capljina, next to an unlawfully erected monument, in which he glorified Praljak.
He is charged with inciting national, racial and religious hatred, discord and intolerance under Article 145a, paragraph 6 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Prosecutors say the speech was carried by a number of electronic media outlets and internet portals, drew a large number of views, and prompted reactions from the public and citizens.
Barbaric was formerly a Franciscan friar. The Diocese of Mostar-Duvno has stated that he was expelled from the Franciscan order in 1998, but stayed in the parish residence in Capljina and continued pastoral work without the church’s approval.
Who was Slobodan Praljak?
Praljak was chief of the Main Staff of the Croatian Defense Council (HVO). The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia sentenced him by a final ruling to 20 years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. After the verdict was read on November 29, 2017, he drank poison in the courtroom in The Hague and died the same day. He was buried in Zagreb.
The investigation into the monument is not over
The Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement that the investigation does not end with the indictment of the speaker:
“The investigation in the case will continue with the aim of identifying the persons who unlawfully erected the monument.”
The monument to Praljak stands in Capljina and was erected last November.
What does Bosnian law say about glorifying war criminals?
Publicly glorifying people convicted by final ruling of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes has been a criminal offense in Bosnia and Herzegovina since July 2021. The amendments to the Criminal Code were imposed by the then High Representative, Valentin Inzko. Denying or justifying war crimes carries a prison sentence of three months to five years, while awarding honors or otherwise glorifying convicted war criminals carries at least three years in prison.
Barbaric has so far only been charged, and his guilt has not been established.
