Europe's Most Wanted Fugitive Arrested

by Dan Forrest
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer

BELGRADE, Serbia - Radovan Karadzic, one of the world's most wanted-men, was arrested on Monday for genocide and crimes against humanity.  He is charged with the 1995 mass execution of over 7,500 Muslim Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica, a massacre that was carried out as part of a plan to terrorize Bosnia's Muslim and Croat population. 

Karadzic was once an ally of Slobodan Milosevic during the Bosnian conflict in the early 1990's.  He went into hiding shortly after the Dayton Peace Accord ended the war in 1995 and has successfully eluded capture ever since - often using elaborate disguises to move throughout the countryside. 

Karadzic has been under surveillance for the past several weeks as the result of a tip from foreign intelligence officials.  He made his first appearance in front of a Serbia war crimes court earlier today, the first step in extradition proceedings that will culminate in him facing justice on the international stage. 

Citizens throughout Sarajevo gathered in the streets and rejoiced in the news that Karadzic has finally been arrested.  His capture may be a sign of Serbia's renewed commitment to hunt down notorious war criminals, a condition set as a prerequisite for their admission to the European Union.   

Ratko Mladic, a senior officer under Karadzic's command, still remains at large and is wanted for his role in the Srebrenica massacre.   

For more information, please see:

BBC - Serbia captures fugitive Karadzic - 22 July 2008

CNN - Bosnia war crime suspect Karadzic arrested - 21 July 2008

Yahoo (AP) - Karadzic: Genocide suspect had long evaded justice - 21 July 2008