Small village where Slobodan Praljak lived in mourning

(30 Nov 2017) People in Grabovina, a small village in southern Bosnia Herzegovina, mourned the death of its most important resident, Slobodan Praljak, a Bosnian Croat general who committed suicide at the war crimes tribunal in The Hague on Thursday. At Praljak's family house the gates were closed, but villagers arrived to bring candles and pay respects. Praljak was a hero for his countrymen here. Pero Pervisic, one of the closest friends and comrades of Praljak, fought the Bosnian war under direct command of general Praljak. Pervisic also served as a driver for the general, and had close contact with Praljak over the years. "He was a great man, great warrior, great patriot, I knew him like that. Croatian people will not have someone like that in near future", Pervisic told AP. Pervisic praised Praljak as someone who would never harm anyone, so the whole hometown was shocked to hear a verdict of guilty was handed down at The Hague. A bigger shock arrived seconds later, when Praljak drank from a little vessel and said: "I drank poison". In a small town of Capljina, nearby Praljak's village, a large mural was painted, showing picture of general, with the last quote he said just before he committed suicide: "Slobodan Praljak is not a war criminal, I reject your verdict with contempt." Croat flags were flying at half mast as candle light vigils were held all over Herzegovina for Praljak. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...