Radovan Karadzic

Radovan Karadzic is the former leader of the Serb Republic of Bosnia (“Republika Srpska”) and one of the ICTY’s “most wanted” for war crimes during the Bosnia conflict.  As the President of Republika Srpska, he also held the position of Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

He has been indicted with 2 counts of genocide, 5 counts of crimes against humanity, 3 counts of violations of the laws or customs of war, and 1 count of grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions.

The charges against Karadzic date back to 1991 when his forces attacked areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina that would become Republika Srpska.  His forces created an atmosphere of terror through persecution, forcible deportation, and liquidation of Bosnian Muslim, Bosnian Croat, and other non-Serbs living in the area.

Later, beginning in March 1992, Karadzic’s Bosnian Serb forces launched a 44-mongh siege against the city of Sarajevo that included blockades, shelling of targets, and sniper attacks against civilians.

In July 1995, Karadzic ordered his forces to attack the UN-determined “security zone” in Srebrenica.  The Bosnian Serb forces rounded up thousands of citizens and executed some 7,000 Muslim men and boys over the course of seven days.

Also, in response to the NATO bombardment campaign in 1995, Kardzic ordered the detention of over 200 military observers and UN peacekeepers.

Karadzic has been on the lam since 1996 although some of his generals surrendered in 2005.  In May 2005, he was reportedly sighted twice in southeastern Bosnia and Belgrade.  Karadzic has refused to accept responsibility for his crimes and does not believe the ICTY is a legitimate tribunal.  He told UK Times reporters in 1996 that the tribunal was “created to blame the Serbs.”

For more information, please see:

BBC - Profile: Radovan Karadzic - 6 June 2005
UN – Case Information Sheet KARADZIC Case (IT-95-5/18) – 23 June 2004
Trial Watch – Radovan Karadzic - 24 November 2006