View Full Version : Radovan Karadzic arrested
And I always thought the French were hiding him in France..... since they never let us in Pale'......:lifter
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25787633
Bosnian Serb wartime president arrested
The war crimes fugitive, Radovan Karadzic is twice indicted for genocide
Radovan Karadzic, shown in 1993, is accused of masterminding massacres during the 1992-95 Bosnian war that the U.N. war crimes tribunal described as "scenes from hell, written on the darkest pages of human history."
BREAKING NEWS
updated 3 minutes ago
BELGRADE - Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, a war crimes fugitive and one of the world's most wanted men, was arrested on Monday evening in a sweep by Serbian security forces, the country's president said.
Karadzic has been indicted by the U.N. war crimes tribunal for former Yugoslavia for genocide during the 1992-95 Bosnian war. He has been hiding since 1998.
President Boris Tadic's office said in a statement that Karadzic was arrested "in an action by the Serbian security services."
Karadzic, who was the leader of ethnic Serbs during the war that erupted with Bosnia's secession from Yugoslavia, is accused of masterminding massacres that the U.N. war crimes tribunal described as "scenes from hell, written on the darkest pages of human history."
He had topped the tribunal's most-wanted list for more than a decade and was said to have resorted to elaborate disguises to elude authorities.
Karadzic's reported hide-outs included Serbian Orthodox monasteries and refurbished mountain caves in remote eastern Bosnia. Some newspaper reports said he had at times disguised himself as a priest by shaving off his trademark silver mane and donning a brown cassock.
As leader of Bosnia's Serbs, Karadzic hobnobbed with international negotiators and his interviews were top news items during the 3 1/2-year Bosnian war, set off when a government dominated by Slavic Muslims and Croats declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1992.
But his life changed by the time the war ended in late 1995 with an estimated 250,000 people dead and another 1.8 million driven from their homes. He was indicted twice by the U.N. tribunal on genocide charges stemming from his alleged crimes against Bosnia's Muslims and Croats.
holy smokes....FINALLY !!
thanks for posting
thanks for posting Stras! Been waiting for years to see this !
Ret10Echo
07-21-2008, 19:05
Karadzic: Genocide suspect had long evaded justice By WILLIAM J. KOLE, Associated Press Writer
He was accused of masterminding massacres that the U.N. war crimes tribunal described as "scenes from hell, written on the darkest pages of human history."
Monday's capture of Radovan Karadzic, the wartime leader of the Bosnian Serbs and one of the world's most-wanted men, ended a 13-year manhunt for a genocide suspect said to have resorted to elaborate disguises to elude authorities.
The arrest announcement from Serbian President Boris Tadic's office was stunning: Although authorities had been said to be closing in on Gen. Ratko Mladic, who was also indicted in 1995 for genocide and crimes against humanity in Bosnia, Karadzic's whereabouts had been a mystery for years — and many had all but given up hope of him ever being brought to justice.
Karadzic's reported hide-outs included Serbian Orthodox monasteries and refurbished mountain caves in remote eastern Bosnia. Over the years, newspaper reports said he occasionally disguised himself as a priest by shaving off his silver mane and donning a brown cassock.
With NATO-led peacekeepers under orders to arrest him on sight, associates said he sometimes traveled in ambulances with flashing lights to zip through NATO checkpoints undetected to spend time with his wife, Ljiljana Zelen-Karadzic; daughter, Sonja; and son, Aleksandar Sasa, in the Bosnian town of Pale, the wartime Bosnian Serb capital.
But his wife surprised the public in July 2005 when she appealed to her husband to come out of hiding and surrender "for the sake of your family." Within a week, his son said publicly that he believed everyone responsible for war crimes must face justice, "even if it is my own father."
Karadzic reportedly also visited his sick mother in the mountains of neighboring Montenegro, and in 2002 went to Budva on that former Yugoslav republic's Adriatic coast.
Those in his inner circle even claimed a disguised Karadzic once sneaked into Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital that his troops shelled relentlessly for three years, and had coffee with his friends in a downtown cafe.
Karadzic hobnobbed with international negotiators and his interviews made big news during the 3 1/2-year Bosnian war, unleashed after ethnic Serbs revolted against the republic's 1992 decision to break away from Yugoslavia.
His life had changed greatly by the time the war ended in late 1995. An estimated 250,000 people were dead and 1.8 million more had been driven from their homes — and Karadzic was a hunted man.
Indicted twice by the U.N. tribunal on genocide charges, his isolation and vulnerability grew as the years passed without any sign that the world was ready to forgive his alleged crimes against Bosnia's Muslims and Croats.
Born June 19, 1945, to a poor rural family in Montenegro, Karadzic trained as a psychiatrist and moved to Sarajevo with his wife and two children in the 1960s, where he also treated members of a city soccer club.
He regularly played high-stakes poker with his Muslim and Croat neighbors — feeding a gambling passion that he later pursued in the casinos of Geneva while the Bosnian Serb leader. There, between shopping sprees for gold watches and designer suits, Karadzic spent months in futile, whisky-laden talks with international mediators trying to end Bosnia's war.
That future seemed far off when the flamboyant Karadzic, a sometime poet and enthusiastic player of a single-string Serbian instrument known as the "gusle," entered politics in 1989 as head of the Bosnian Serb Democratic Party.
As communism collapsed in Yugoslavia, rabid nationalism devoured the old Balkan federation, causing its bloody disintegration and a land grab by its two main ethnic groups, the Serbs and the Croats.
Karadzic's party, with crucial help from his patron, the late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic, mobilized Serbs in Bosnia in 1992 against the republic's Muslims and Croats, who wanted to break away from Serb-dominated Yugoslavia.
Soon, Serb artillery was pounding Sarajevo and Serb fighters expelled hundreds of thousands of Muslims and Croats while seizing 70 percent of Bosnia.
Guided by a vision of uniting Bosnian Serbs with neighboring Serbia, Karadzic turned bitter in early 1993 when Milosevic tried to coax him into a settlement.
Before the 1995 Dayton accords that finally ended the war, Karadzic gave way only once — in May 1993 — agreeing to peace after intense negotiations held in Greece. But he then crossed Milosevic.
By 1994, Serbia's leader had — publicly, at least — severed all ties with and supplies to Karadzic's fiefdom. By 1995, Karadzic had lost the right to negotiate for the Serbs, in part because the two indictments by the war crimes tribunal meant he could not travel.
In July 1995, Karadzic was indicted for genocide, together with Mladic, his military commander. Both were charged with instigating systematic murder, torture, imprisonment and expulsion of non-Serbs.
Atrocities in the indictment included shelling civilian targets, a deadly sniper campaign against civilians in Sarajevo, taking U.N. peacekeepers hostage and setting up brutal prison camps.
In November 1995, Karadzic and Mladic again were indicted for the massacre of thousands of Muslim men after Bosnian Serb troops captured the U.N. "safe area" of Srebrenica.
Karadzic was charged with authorizing the attack on Srebrenica, which came to be known as Europe's worst slaughter of civilians since World War II. The indictment described the Srebrenica bloodshed as "truly scenes from hell, written on the darkest pages of human history."
Karadzic was forced to step down as the Bosnian Serbs' leader in July 1996, replaced by his deputy, Biljana Plavsic. Before her own day in court at U.N. tribunal for Yugoslavia, she revealed details of the vast wealth accumulated by Karadzic and his allies by smuggling alcohol, fuel and cigarettes during and after the war.
Undaunted, Karadzic wielded influence from the shadows and flaunted his determination to stay in charge of Bosnia's postwar Serb republic. But the emergence of a new, pro-Western Bosnian Serb government deprived him of much of his popularity.
In 2003, Bosnia's top international official at the time, Paddy Ashdown, ordered the bank accounts and other assets of Karadzic's wife, son, daughter and brother frozen because of suspicion they were helping him evade capture.
Even so, posters of Karadzic emblazoned with the words "Don't touch him!" popped up around the Balkans — plastered by supporters who still considered him a hero.
"Every Serb house shall be his hiding place and every true Serb his ally," a local poet, Dragoljub Scekic, once proclaimed.
Despite the scattered support, Karadzic — wary of stepped-up talk that he must be arrested and brought to justice — remained a ghost. After September 1996, he was rarely seen in public.
The frigging French are hopefully shitting bullets the size of 105mm rounds.... not that they would be afraid of being found out as sheltering him and Mladic for years from the rest of the coalition.........
Once he's in the Hague, then I will remove him from the wanted posters that I still have. I still get a kick out of the two brothers listed on the wanted poster, under description it states "looks like his brother". Yeah, there's NO photo available for either one.. fucking priceless...:D
That and the Rocket Scientist who thought it was cool that everyone was showing us the "thumbs up" sign and saying "NATO" and wanted to use it as a PSYOP tool showing how the people loved NATO. Hey, Dummy, if you read your Kosovo Handbook, you'll see that the "thumbs up" sign means you won't get shit out of me!!!!!
MLADIC is the last big hanging fruit from Bosnia/Kosovo, but there's a few minor flunkies still kicking around..
Ret10Echo
07-22-2008, 04:51
BBC has a pretty good link with a lot of the background information for those who are not read-up on the history of this situation.
I wonder what sort of "Alternative Medicine" he was practicing?
Stras, ya gotta check out the photo....
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7519039.stm
R10
Karadzic 'worked in Serb clinic'
Karadzic lived freely in Belgrade using a false identity and heavily disguised
Captured Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic was practising alternative medicine and living in Serbia's capital, Belgrade.
He was working in a private clinic in a "very convincing disguise", sporting a long white beard, and calling himself Dragan Dabic, a Serb official said.
He was arrested on Monday near Belgrade after more than a decade on the run.
He is indicted by the UN tribunal for war crimes and genocide over the 1995 massacre at Srebrenica.
A judge has ordered Mr Karadzic's transfer to the UN war crimes court in The Hague, Serbia's war crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic said.
Rasim Ljajic, the Serbian minister for relations with the international war crimes in The Hague, said Mr Karadzic had been living very convincingly as a non-Serbian citizen, using false papers.
"The fact that he was involved with alternative medicine, earning his money from practising alternative medicine, shows that he worked," he said at a news conference in Belgrade.
"He was working in a private practice and the last place where he had residence was New Belgrade."
This should have been a hit,, not an arrest..
:mad::mad::mad:
I'm surprised that it was done "in an action by the Serbian security services."
They got "one of their own". Not typical for them.
Very nice!!
Strass.. Frogs just didn't like us going into Pale.. their "town", we went anyways.
Stras, ya gotta check out the photo...
I thought Sadaam was dead. :cool:
Stras, ya gotta check out the photo....
All that time spent looking for the "K-man" in BH and he's hiding out in plain view as Santa Claus in Serbia....... ARRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH...
Yeah Saddam is dead.... But Elvis and Jimmy Hoffa are still out there.....:cool:
another good Reuters article was some great pictures
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL2196241820080722
Team Sergeant
07-22-2008, 08:55
This should have been a hit,, not an arrest..
:mad::mad::mad:
I agree......
But he might give up a lot more names and locations......
Ret10Echo
07-22-2008, 09:02
I agree......
But he might give up a lot more names and locations......
They are still digging for Ratko...Supposedly that is how they stumbled across Kradzic
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/07/22/sarajevo.rape/index.html?eref=rss_topstories
complete with video
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0723/p01s06-woeu.html#
WhiskeyBoarder
07-22-2008, 14:43
I'm surprised that it was done "in an action by the Serbian security services."
They got "one of their own". Not typical for them.
Very nice!!
Strass.. Frogs just didn't like us going into Pale.. their "town", we went anyways.
They are still digging for Ratko...Supposedly that is how they stumbled across Kradzic
Correct me if I am wrong (and I very well could be) but I was under the impression that Karadzic was handed over because Serbia is attempting to sweeten their position in regards to gaining EU acceptance.
I assume that these same elements in the Serbian government interested in being brought into the EU would hand over Mladic as well. But, because of his former military position, he enjoys more security and better-safekeeping.
Exactly. I'm sure Mladic will go down with a bigger "bang" These guys have to know they're headed up the river for what remains of their lives. Thirteen years is pretty good for runnin and hidin'. If nothing else he got to grow his hair out like jerry garcia, drink more szlivo, and probably had a younger Sebian "assistant" the good life, in Serbia.
I think Serbian insiders has a bead on Karadzic for sometime, it was only a matter of time when and who they'd cough him up for.
WhiskeyBoarder
07-22-2008, 17:28
Exactly. I'm sure Mladic will go down with a bigger "bang" These guys have to know they're headed up the river for what remains of their lives.
Unless, of course, he is already in Russia which: A) doesn't often extradite these types and B) believes that the War Crimes in which Mladic is accused of orchestrating are a Western-produced conspiracy theory....
Unless, of course, he is already in Russia which: A) doesn't often extradite these types and B) believes that the War Crimes in which Mladic is accused of orchestrating are a Western-produced conspiracy theory....
What, Russia taking up for the Serbs? Never...:o
I agree with an earlier poster, money talks. Serbia wants in the EU and know that one of the stipulations is to start cooperating in the turning in of the PIFWC's.
At times i felt indifferent about the whole situation bc of how brutal both sides were. The stories/atrocities from both are mind boggling. The story of the rape victims makes my blood boil....i wish we could have done more, i wish i could have done more, but i was called too late anyways and policy probably wouldn't have allowed it anyways.
Bosnian local nationals (KBR folks and translator) when i was there were always cordial and very hospitable. Serbs were more stand-off, but that was somewhat understandable.
Ret10Echo
07-23-2008, 05:17
Think his trial will make it to YouTube?
Karadzic 'aims to defend himself'
War crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic plans to conduct his own defence in his trial at The Hague, his lawyer says.
"Karadzic will have a legal team in Serbia that will help him with his defence but he will defend himself," said lawyer Sveta Vujacic.
Mr Karadzic would be following former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, who defended himself during his long-running trial at The Hague.
Mr Karadzic was captured on Monday after more than a decade on the run.
Ret10Echo
07-23-2008, 05:22
Bosnian local nationals (KBR folks and translator) when i was there were always cordial and very hospitable. Serbs were more stand-off, but that was somewhat understandable.
I agree with the stand-offish nature of the Serbs, but they were good folks after building some rapport. That was their downfall in the court of world opinion. Their attitude was to tell everyone off (including the press) while the Bosniacs played the UN and the Media like a violin :boohoo
Actually enjoyed the Serb side of the ZOS much more than the Bosniac...
Ret10Echo
07-23-2008, 05:29
Unless, of course, he is already in Russia which: A) doesn't often extradite these types and B) believes that the War Crimes in which Mladic is accused of orchestrating are a Western-produced conspiracy theory....
After Karadzic, is Mladic next?
By Gabriel Partos
Balkan affairs analyst
The arrest of Radovan Karadzic by Serbia's security services has led to renewed speculation that his wartime military commander and fellow fugitive, General Ratko Mladic, could soon be apprehended.
The speculation was fuelled by remarks made by Rasim Ljajic, Serbia's minister for co-operation with the Hague tribunal, that security officials had come across the heavily disguised Mr Karadzic while trying to track down Gen Mladic.
Indeed, the capture of Mr Karadzic, rather than that of Gen Mladic, has stunned observers who have been following the 13-year hunt for the two wartime Bosnian Serb leaders, who were jointly indicted on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague 13 years ago.
The tribunal's prosecutors have been convinced for years that Gen Mladic is in hiding in Serbia, "within reach" of the Belgrade authorities.
By contrast, Mr Karadzic was believed to be literally on the run, frequently changing his hiding places as he criss-crossed the porous borders between the eastern, Serb-controlled, part of Bosnia-Hercegovina, his native Montenegro and Serbia itself.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7521119.stm
Another good article
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/get-karadzic-how-to-catch-a-monster-874736.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/serbia/2452089/Radovan-Karadzic-was-sold-by-Ratko-Mladic.html
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/07/30/karadzic.deportation/index.html
So, you gonna represent yourself like Milosevic did? It worked out really well for him in the end. :lifter
Karadzic just went too far...or else his buds wouldn't be shunning him among the international crowd like this. There are no statute of limitations on those who go so far in their national zealotry...and perhaps others are hoping they'll be forgotten in the midst of Karadzic's basking in the limelight of international focus and attention. Wonder who'll be next?
Richard :munchin
:boohoohttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/serbia/2480084/Radovan-Karadzic-appears-in-UN-court-on-genocide-charges.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2008/jul/31/karadziccourt more video
I swear I bought a t-shirt from this guy at the last concert I went to!
I swear I bought a t-shirt from this guy at the last concert I went to!
I swear he looks like the Priest who blessed the new school in Kosovo in 2001 that we assisted in the CA project on. "Nah, it couldn't be........"
wouldnt be surprsed Stras ;)
Cant wait to see Ratko's destiny...eternal Serb martyrdom or never ending chess games with Radovan for the nect 20 years.
Ret10Echo
10-16-2012, 05:05
Resurrecting the thread as Radovan hits the stand up at Den Hague
16 October 2012
Radovan Karadzic begins Bosnia war crimes defence
Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has begun his defence at his war crimes trial by denying the charges and saying he should instead be rewarded for reducing suffering
From the BBC. Link to story HERE (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19952899)
:munchin
War Crime? Reduce Suffering?
Animal Farm?
Serbian social welfare program offering a lead rich diet to those who qualify.
Richard
Ret10Echo
03-18-2016, 05:03
Yes... This thread started back in 2008...
The verdict that a U.N. tribunal will hand down next week in Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic's trial for genocide has re-opened old wounds for many Bosnians, who for years feared him as the "master of life and death".
Reuters here (http://www.reuters.com/article/us-warcrimes-karadzic-idUSKCN0WK11R)
The bullets and mortar rounds have long stopped flying, but the attitudes, not so much.
R10