Karadzic may be in the dock, but his legacy lives on
Daniel Korski 6:36pm
After 14 years on the run, Radovan Karadzic, the Bosnian Serb wartime leader, is finally being brought to justice. Today, prosecutors at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) charged Karadzic with 11 counts of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
According to the indictment, Karadzic was one of the authors of a plan to "permanently remove" Bosnian Muslims and Croats from Bosnian Serb-claimed territory. It details allegations of two counts of genocide, including for the July 1995 massacre of around 8,000 Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica. But the charge also details a hellish litany of crimes, including allegations of persecution, extermination, murder, rape, and deportation committed in 19 Bosnian municipalities, as well as during the 44-month siege of Sarajevo that left some 10,000 people dead.
For the relatives of Karadzic’s victims, this moment could not come too soon. Having worked in Bosnia for four years after the war, I have seen first-hand the extent to which the war has left deep physical, political and emotional scars. These will not heal simply because Radovan Karadzic in the in the Hague. Nor will they heal when his military commander, General Ratko Mladic, is eventually captured by the Serbian government and given a place next to his civilian boss in the dock. Justice is not the same as reconciliation let alone the same as coming to terms with the loss of loved ones.
In today’s Bosnia-Herzegovina, moving on from the war is made all the more difficult for many of the victims because Karadzic’s political aim -– the creation of an independent, Muslim-free entity for Serbs –- has been accomplished.
Republika Srpska was created in the Dayton Accords as a semi-autonomous part of Bosnia-Herzegovina. It was run in the first couple of years as a continuation of Karadzic’s wartime polity – with a clear policy to deny the right of wartime refugees to return to their homes. Today’s leaders in Republika Srpska may share none of Karadzic’s wartime guilt, but their project looks in many respects as a non-violent version of what Karadzic set out to achieve.
Bringing Karadzic and Mladic to justice is an important step in dealing with the legacy of the war. But so is building a viable, functioning Bosnian state where all three ethnic communities – Bosniacks, Serbs and Croats -- can live in peace and where nobody should feel unwelcome.
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Noa Zrk
October 26th, 2009 10:13pm Report this commentCan't wait to see Blair there, or the prospect of him being able to correspond with his inmate Straw.
Fergus Pickering
October 27th, 2009 2:18am Report this commentAn indendent, muslim-free entity for Brits... sorry what was that you were saying?
David Lindsay
October 27th, 2009 11:58am Report this commentIt is well worth re-reading the words of John Laughland from when the admittedly ghastly Karadzic was first illegally brought to appear before this ridiculous kangaroo court: http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/3436
Why are neocons such supporters of the two entities to which the term “Islamofascist failed state” is properly applicable, namely the one in Bosnia and the one in Kosovo?
Dirk Blade
October 27th, 2009 12:51pm Report this commentWhether we like it or not, Dodik has a genuine democratic mandate, and has delivered - at least compared with the woeful failure of the Federation - a degree of prosperity for the RS. I do not think he is pursuing Karadzic's agenda, by non-violent means or otherwise; but even if he were, so what? He's not ethnically cleansing Bosniaks, who make up c8% of the RS population, compared with <1% of the Federation. Mithering about 'intransigence' is all very well, but you supranational elites should have thought about that when you handed all three CPs an unassailable red card. You might also wonder why so few Bosnians [sic] have any faith in international engagement, given the succession of egotists and functionaries who have filled the OHR.
It is also interesting to observe the dog that doesn't bark - the Bosnian Croats. Most B Croats with any sense can see that Bosnia is heading for a simple Bosniak majority within a decade (hence the reluctance to revisit the 1991 census), and those that can leave for Croatia have already done so. Seeing what the Bosniak ascendancy in Sarajevo has managed to do within the FBiH, who can blame either Dodik or Lubic for wishing to distance themselves from the car-crash?
@David Lindsay: 'Failed state' is unarguable, but there is no plausible basis for describing either the Federation or Kosovo as 'Islamofascist', and doing so greatly weakens the case against genuine Islamofascists such as Saudi.
Nik
October 27th, 2009 1:22pm Report this commentKorski's assertion that RS doesn't allow refugees back is equally mirrored in the Muslim Croatian Federation where there are only 7% Serbs.They do not feel safe there.Sarajevo is in excess of 90% Muslim.
The point is this country is a fiction and no amount of conjecture ,idealism, nor wishful thinking can put this non state together.
Perhaps had they insisted on Yugoslavia staying together this problem wouldn't have arisen.
If Korski and others would look at the maps of 1991 then his views of Serb projects would be realisable in terms of practical isssues whearas the West allowed Croats to go and then chose adnminstrative Titoist republic maps rather than population maps. Allowing Bosniaks as well at a time when the Croats voted with them to get out of Yugoslavia leaving a disgruntled Serb population wanting to stay in Yugoslavia.All 34% of them. was crazy.Now Croats want their own entity.
Surely a national referendum of all three constituent peoples is the best way forward rather than the multi cultural fantasy which ignorant western commentators ascribe to but apart from Serbia which is multi cultural look at Slovenia 98% Slovene Croatia 97% Croat yes only 50000 Serbs from 400000- 500000 in 1991 Kosovo 99% Albanian.
Bosnia is a ludricrous nation building exercise designed to give the Bosniaks their state dominating Croats and Serbs.It cannot be because the other two don't want it.
Lets get real about this protectorate.Lets allow its demise peacefully.
JIll L Starr
October 27th, 2009 8:47pm Report this commentIrrefutable Proof ICTY Is Corrupt Court/Irrefutable Proof the Hague Court Cannot Legitimately Prosecute Karadzic Case
http://lpcyu.instablogs.com/entry/nato-says-the-hague-tribunal-or-icty-belongs-to-nato-truth-bites-for-te-hague-lately/
http://picasaweb.google.com/lpcyusa/ViewMyHagueInternationalCriminalCourtPreparatoryDocumentsFromThe2001UnitedNations#
(The Documentary Secret United Nations ICC Meeting Papers Scanned Images)
This legal technicality indicates the Hague must dismiss charges against Dr karadzic and others awaiting trials in the Hague jail; like it or not.
Unfortunately for the Signatures Of the Rome Statute United Nations member states instituting the ICC & ICTY housed at the Hague, insofar as the, Radovan Karadzic, as with the other Hague cases awaiting trial there, I personally witnessed these United Nations member states openly speaking about trading judicial appointments and verdicts for financial funding when I attended the 2001 ICC Preparatory Meetings at the UN in Manhattan making the iCTY and ICC morally incapable trying Radovan Karazdic and others.
I witnessed with my own eyes and ears when attending the 2001 Preparatory Meetings to establish an newly emergent International Criminal Court, the exact caliber of criminal corruption running so very deeply at the Hague, that it was a perfectly viable topic of legitimate conversation in those meetings I attended to debate trading verdicts AND judicial appointments, for monetary funding.
Jilly wrote:*The rep from Spain became distraught and when her country’s proposal was not taken to well by the chair of the meeting , then Spain argued in a particularly loud and noticably strongly vocal manner, “Spain (my country) strongly believes if we contribute most financial support to the Hague’s highest court, that ought to give us and other countries feeding it financially MORE direct power over its decisions.”
((((((((((((((((((((((((( ((((((((((((((((((((((((( Instead of censoring the country representative from Spain for even bringing up this unjust, illegal and unfair judicial idea of bribery for international judicial verdicts and judicial appointments, all country representatives
present in the meeting that day all treated the Spain proposition as a ”totally legitimate topic” discussed and debated it between each other for some time. I was quite shocked! The idea was "let's discuss it." "It's a great topic to discuss."
Some countries agreed with Spain’s propositions while others did not. The point here is, bribery for judicial verdicts and judicial appointments was treated as a totally legitimate topic instead of an illegitimate toic which it is in the meeting that I attended in 2001 that day to establish the ground work for a newly emergent
international criminal court.))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
In particular., since "Spain" was so overtly unafraid in bringing up this topic of trading financial funding the ICC for influence over its future judicial appointments and verdicts in front of every other UN member state present that day at the UN, "Spain" must have already known by previous experience the topic of bribery was "socially acceptable" for conversation that day. They must have previously spoke about bribing the ICTY and ICC before in meetings; this is my take an international sociological honor student.
SPAIN's diplomatic gesture of international justice insofar as, Serbia, in all of this is, disgusting morally!
SPAIN HAS TAUGHT THE WORLD THE TRUE DEFINITION OF AN "INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT."
I remind everyone, when I attended those ICC Preparatory Meetings in 2001, witnessing first hand the country plenipotentiary representatives present with me discussing so openly, trading judicial funding of a new international criminal court, for its direct judicial appointments and judicial verdicts, those same state powers were
concurrently,
those same countries and people were already simultaneously, funding the already established ICTY which was issuing at that time, arrest warrants for Bosnian Serbs under false primary diplomatic pretenses.
The ICTY and ICC is just where it should be for once.
Cornered and backed into and an international wall, scared like a corned animal (and I bet it reacts in the same way a rabid cornered animal does too in such circumstances). (ICTY associates)
http://picasaweb.google.com/lpcyusa/ViewMyHagueInternationalCriminalCourtPreparatoryDocumentsFromThe2001UnitedNations#
(Evidence Agaisnt the ICTY)
http://picasaweb.google.com/lpcyusa/DuringTheTrialOfRamushHaradinajIn2006TheHagueWarCrimesTribunalForTheFormerYugoslavi#
(Documents: Hague war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has destroyed all material evidence about the monsterous KLA Albanian/KLA organ trade in Kosovo)
I believe strongly that ICYU assocaites murdered former Serb President, Slobodan Milosevic, tried to murder
me, as well and other Serbs prisoners and presently places , Doctor Radovan Karadzic’s life in direct danger as well as Ratko Mladic’s life in danger should he be brought there.
The ICTY has no other choice than to halt all further court proceedings against, Doctor Radovan Karadzic, and others there both serving sentences and awaiting trials. Miss JIll Louise Starr (The UN Security Council has no choice but to act on this now).
I accuse the Hague ICTY war crimes tribunal of attempted assassination on my life and others, contempt of court and obstruction of international justice and "international witness tampering" in complicity with Richard Holbrook and Bill Clinton (Former US President of the USA) as well as political playersin Spain and the Netherlands .
I represented the state interests' of the Former Yugoslavia, in Darko Trifunovic’s absence in those meetings and I am proud to undertake this effort on Serbia’s behalf.
Jill Starr
January 22nd, 2011 12:23am Report this commentWhat It’s Like to Chill Out With Whom the Rest of the World Considers As The Most Ruthless Men: Ratko Mladic, Goran Hadzic and Radovan Karadzic (+) Confessions of a Female War Crimes Investigator By Jill Louise Starr NJ USA
https://sites.google.com/site/jillstarrsite/what-it-s-like-to-chill-out-with-whom-the-rest-of-the-world-considers-as-the-most-ruthless-men-in-the-world-ratko-mladic-and-radovan-karadzic-confessions-of-a-female-war-crimes-investigator
Retrospectively, it was all so simple, natural and matter of fact being on a boat restaurant in Belgrade, sitting with, laughing, drinking a two hundred bottle of wine and chatting about war and peace while Ratko Mladic held my hand. Mladic, a man considered the world’s most ruthless war criminal since Adolf Hitler, still at large and currently having a five million dollar bounty on his head for genocide by the international community. Yet there I was with my two best friends at the time, a former Serbian diplomat, his wife, and Ratko Mladic just chilling. There was no security, nothing you’d ordinarily expect in such circumstances. Referring to himself merely as, Sharko; this is the story of it all came about.
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