Steven P. BarrettRadovan Karadzic, Bosnia's Butcher, Bastard's Finally Bagged
July 23rd 2008 03:50
By Steven Barrett
The wheels of justice do turn slowly, but enexorably, they finally stop rolling when the prey is finally caught and brought to justice.
Generally speaking, I'm not in favor of the death penalty. This guy, and his trial to come, will probably make it very easy to grant an exception in Karadzic's case.
Alleged Butcher of Bosnia
According to the AP:
Sonja, would you care to run that by the families of the people butchered in Bosnia?
But you really have to wonder about the Serbs -- especially the ones rioting in the streets protesting Karadzic's extradiction of this so-called "psychiatrist-turned nationalist."
The wheels of justice do turn slowly, but enexorably, they finally stop rolling when the prey is finally caught and brought to justice.
Generally speaking, I'm not in favor of the death penalty. This guy, and his trial to come, will probably make it very easy to grant an exception in Karadzic's case.
Radovan Karadzic
Alleged Butcher of Bosnia
According to the AP:
Serb officials say they arrested Karadzic Monday evening near Belgrade after more than a decade on the run. The war crime suspect had grown a long white beard to conceal his identity and had lived freely in the capital before being arrested.
"His false identity was very convincing," said Vladimir Vukcevic, Serbia's war crimes prosecutor who coordinated the security forces arrest. "He had moved freely in public places."
Karadzic is sought on 11 charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for his actions during Bosnia's 1992-1995 war. The psychiatrist-turned-Serbian-n ationalist is accused of masterminding the deadly wartime siege of Sarajevo and the 1995 executions of some 8,000 Muslim boys and men in Srebrenica.
While on the run in Serbia, the world's top war crimes fugitive worked at a private alternative medicine clinic and wrote for a Belgrade magazine, according to Serbian officials. Karadzic also lectured about meditation at a May festival in Belgrade.
To do all this, Karadzic used an alias, Dragan Dabic, government minister Rasim Ljajic said at a press conference Tuesday. He displayed a recent photo of an unrecognizable Karadzic with long white beard and hair.
Ljajic refused to reveal more details about the arrest, saying Karadzic's movements were being analyzed to help track down another war crimes suspect, Bosnian Serb wartime commander Ratko Mladic. Serbian security services found Karadzic, 63, while looking for Mladic, he said.
Karadzic was questioned early Tuesday by a Serbian judge who later ruled that he can be handed over to the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, Vukcevic said.
Karadzic has three days to appeal. His lawyer, Sveta Vujacic, said he will fight extradition on the last day, Friday, to thwart authorities' desire for an immediate transfer.
Karadzic's arrest appeared to be linked to a change in political will.
Karadzic's arrest appeared to be linked to a change in political will.
Serbian President Boris Tadic's pro-Western government came to power only two weeks ago and appointed a new security chief, replacing an aide to former nationalist prime minister Vojislav Kostunica.
Liberal politician Nenad Canak said Kostunica and his nationalist allies had protected Karadzic and Mladic for years.
That assessment matched comments from the former U.S. ambassador to Bosnia, Richard Holbrooke.
Karadzic "was protected by people who knew who he was," Holbrooke told CNN on Tuesday. "NATO did not make an all-out effort to capture him at the beginning, in 1996, which was a terrible mistake. They knew exactly where he was. (emphasis, spb)
"And then he slipped away and he was sheltered by people."
There was no immediate comment from Kostunica to Karadzic's arrest.
European Union foreign ministers said the arrest helped Serbia's bid for EU membership, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel called it a "historic moment."
"The victims need to know: Massive human rights violations do not go unpunished," she said in Berlin.
Karadzic's whereabouts had been a mystery since he went on the run in 1998, with his early hideouts reportedly including monasteries and mountain caves in remote eastern Bosnia.
Karadzic's family in Bosnia, banned from leaving the country over suspicions they helped him elude capture, asked Tuesday to have the restrictions lifted, his daughter told The Associated Press.
Sonja Karadzic said family members want to spend at least a few hours with Karadzic before his transfer to U.N. custody.
"For years we have not seen our father, husband and grandfather; my mother's health is not very good, and we do not have the financial means necessary to travel to Netherlands," she said.
"His false identity was very convincing," said Vladimir Vukcevic, Serbia's war crimes prosecutor who coordinated the security forces arrest. "He had moved freely in public places."
Karadzic is sought on 11 charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for his actions during Bosnia's 1992-1995 war. The psychiatrist-turned-Serbian-n ationalist is accused of masterminding the deadly wartime siege of Sarajevo and the 1995 executions of some 8,000 Muslim boys and men in Srebrenica.
While on the run in Serbia, the world's top war crimes fugitive worked at a private alternative medicine clinic and wrote for a Belgrade magazine, according to Serbian officials. Karadzic also lectured about meditation at a May festival in Belgrade.
To do all this, Karadzic used an alias, Dragan Dabic, government minister Rasim Ljajic said at a press conference Tuesday. He displayed a recent photo of an unrecognizable Karadzic with long white beard and hair.
Ljajic refused to reveal more details about the arrest, saying Karadzic's movements were being analyzed to help track down another war crimes suspect, Bosnian Serb wartime commander Ratko Mladic. Serbian security services found Karadzic, 63, while looking for Mladic, he said.
Karadzic was questioned early Tuesday by a Serbian judge who later ruled that he can be handed over to the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, Vukcevic said.
Karadzic has three days to appeal. His lawyer, Sveta Vujacic, said he will fight extradition on the last day, Friday, to thwart authorities' desire for an immediate transfer.
Karadzic's arrest appeared to be linked to a change in political will.
Karadzic's arrest appeared to be linked to a change in political will.
Serbian President Boris Tadic's pro-Western government came to power only two weeks ago and appointed a new security chief, replacing an aide to former nationalist prime minister Vojislav Kostunica.
Liberal politician Nenad Canak said Kostunica and his nationalist allies had protected Karadzic and Mladic for years.
That assessment matched comments from the former U.S. ambassador to Bosnia, Richard Holbrooke.
Karadzic "was protected by people who knew who he was," Holbrooke told CNN on Tuesday. "NATO did not make an all-out effort to capture him at the beginning, in 1996, which was a terrible mistake. They knew exactly where he was. (emphasis, spb)
"And then he slipped away and he was sheltered by people."
There was no immediate comment from Kostunica to Karadzic's arrest.
European Union foreign ministers said the arrest helped Serbia's bid for EU membership, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel called it a "historic moment."
"The victims need to know: Massive human rights violations do not go unpunished," she said in Berlin.
Karadzic's whereabouts had been a mystery since he went on the run in 1998, with his early hideouts reportedly including monasteries and mountain caves in remote eastern Bosnia.
Karadzic's family in Bosnia, banned from leaving the country over suspicions they helped him elude capture, asked Tuesday to have the restrictions lifted, his daughter told The Associated Press.
Sonja Karadzic said family members want to spend at least a few hours with Karadzic before his transfer to U.N. custody.
"For years we have not seen our father, husband and grandfather; my mother's health is not very good, and we do not have the financial means necessary to travel to Netherlands," she said.
Sonja, would you care to run that by the families of the people butchered in Bosnia?
But you really have to wonder about the Serbs -- especially the ones rioting in the streets protesting Karadzic's extradiction of this so-called "psychiatrist-turned nationalist."
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Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
Comment by Anonymous
And pity poor Sonja.
S. L. Here's a deal we ought to give her if she really wants that Hague travel dough. Let her go beg from the relatives of her old man's victims.