Slobodan Praljak

Slobodan Praljak (1945–2017) was a Croatian military officer and theater director convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

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Prosecutor v. Prlić et al.: A case before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia concerning six Bosnian Croat officials and crimes committed during the Bosnian War. Praljak was one of the six defendants convicted in this joint trial.
Joint criminal enterprise: A mode of liability in international criminal law for participating in a common purpose that involves crimes. The tribunal assessed Praljak’s role in a joint criminal enterprise involving Bosnian Croat leaders.
Jadranko Prlić: A Bosnian Croat politician who served as president of the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia and was convicted by the ICTY. Prlić was the most senior defendant in the joint case that included Praljak.
Academy of Dramatic Art, University of Zagreb: A Croatian higher-education institution for theater, film, and television arts. Praljak studied theater direction there before beginning his military career.
Poisoning of Slobodan Praljak: The ingestion of potassium cyanide by Slobodan Praljak in the ICTY courtroom on 29 November 2017, followed by his death. Praljak took poison after the Appeals Chamber upheld his sentence.
Bosnian War: The 1992–1995 conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina involving Bosnian Serb, Bosnian Croat, and Bosniak forces. The conflict formed the setting for the crimes addressed in Praljak’s trial.
Command responsibility: A form of criminal liability for commanders who fail to prevent or punish crimes by subordinates. The judgment considered the duties attached to Praljak’s military authority.
Bruno Stojić: A Bosnian Croat official responsible for defense matters in the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia, convicted by the ICTY. He was tried alongside Praljak as a senior figure in the wartime administration.
Croatian War of Independence: The 1991–1995 war between Croatian forces and the Yugoslav People’s Army and Serb forces in Croatia. Praljak entered military service during this conflict before commanding in Bosnia.
Potassium cyanide: A highly toxic chemical compound that can rapidly prevent cells from using oxygen. Investigators identified the substance Praljak ingested in the courtroom.