Press Releases:

July 22, 2008

Serbia: Steps after Karadzic arrest

BRUSSELS / NEW YORK – The arrest of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, who was first indicted 13 years ago for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, is a major step by Serbia toward facing its past, the International Center for Transitional Justice said today. The ICTJ urged both Serbia and the EU that the arrest should not be seen as closing the book but rather as the beginning of Serbia addressing the past.

“In finally showing the political will to make this crucial arrest we hope that Serbia acted not just to satisfy the EU but because it recognized the importance of accountability and justice,” said Dick Oosting, Europe Director of the ICTJ.

Karadzic was widely acknowledged as the author and mastermind of the Bosnian Serb campaign in which massive atrocities were inflicted against Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats. His trial before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia should shed much-needed new light on the causes of the war in Bosnia.

“This arrest is hugely important for Bosnia, the country that suffered so much at the hands of its own Serb inhabitants led by Karadzic and his wartime commander General Ratko Mladic,” said Oosting. “Time does not diminish the need for justice, and we hope that the authorities will now move quickly to arrest Mladic as well.”

Bringing the last major war criminals to justice should open the way to address major unresolved legacies of the 1990s Balkan wars, including further prosecutions, reparations, and the search for a common truth about the causes, the nature and the extent of the abuses committed during the conflict.

Background

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, located in The Hague, indicted Karadzic in 1995 on charges of genocide for his alleged role that year in the massacre of nearly 8,000 Muslim civilians in Srebrenica. He also faces charges based on his alleged role in the establishment of concentration camps intended to bring about the destruction of the Bosnian Muslim and Bosnian Croat population, the ethnic cleansing of non-Serb areas and the siege of Sarajevo. Karadzic remained in hiding for more than a decade. General Ratko Mladic, his wartime commander, was indicted on similar charges but remains at large.

About the ICTJ

The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) assists countries pursuing accountability for past mass atrocity or human rights abuse. The Center works in societies emerging from repressive rule or armed conflict, as well as in established democracies where historical injustices or systemic abuse remain unresolved.

To learn more about the ICTJ, please visit www.ictj.org

CONTACT
Robert Ruby
Communications Director
Office + 1 917 637 3845
Mobile +1 646 919 6599
rruby@ictj.org