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________________________________________________________________________ THE KARADI'S TRIAL BLOG ________________________________________________________________________
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United Nations judges at the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal in The Hague have ruled that Radovan Karadi must stand trial even if it is proved to be true that US peace envoy Richard Holbrooke offered the then Bosnian Serb leader immunity in return for giving up power. The UN judges dismissed any such agreement as "invalid under international law" in a major setback for Karadi's defence. Link
Mo Sacirbey: Undermining Secular State in Bosnia-Herzegovina (December 22, 2008)
out by Slobodan Milosevic and Radovan Karadi or otherwise, ethnic chauvinism is triumphant under current application of Annex 4, the "Dayton Constitution." The "Dayton Constitution" was crafted during the Dayton talks with the overriding influence of non-BiH based interests promoting separatist, parochial agendas. The choice was between accepting extortive political demands that effectively undermined the state of BiH or the perpetuation of genocide and aggression. Read more
Diego Arria: the Unted Nations is responsible for the Srebrenica massacre as well (December 18, 2008)
Here is an exerpt from Diego Arria's testimony at the ICTY in which he asserted that the United Nations bears partial responsibility for the Srebrenica massacre. " In the case of Bosnia, Arria said, there prevailed 'double standards: we did not treat them as Europeans, but as Muslims, because we feared a Muslim state in Europe.' Arria claims that Secretary General Boutros-Ghali and his Secretariat withheld information about the real situation in the field or fed the Security Council misinformation. As an example of the way in which information was withheld, he spoke about a letter in which Sadako Ogata, then UN High Commissioner for Refugees, warned the UN about the tragic situation in Srebrenica in March 1993. The letter seems to have become "misplaced" somewhere in the office of the Secretary-General, and Arria first saw it 11 years later in The Hague, when the Prosecution produced it. The humanitarian disaster in Srebrenica came before the Security Council 12 days after Sadako Ogata's dramatic and urgent appeal, after the situation on the ground had already changed: Bosniak forces had capitulated and UNPROFOR had disarmed them. Ghali's secretariat, claims Arria, knew about the change but "failed" to inform the Security Council of it on the eve of the Srebrenica debate or even in the course of it." Link
Opinio Juris: Prof. Kevin Jon Heller among one of Karadi’s top legal advisers
Opinio Juris Blog revealed that Kevin Jon Heller, a professor of law at the University of Auckland in New Zealand is one of top legal advisers to Radovan Karadi and has been providing legal services do the ICTY's indictee for the past two months. Prof. Heller specializes in international criminal law, comparative criminal law and evidence. He holds a J.D. degree from the Stanford University Law School. Link
Washington Post: Hunt for Mladi intensifies (December 12, 2008) Police were searching a town outside Belgrade Friday as part of efforts to find former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic, the Serbian war crimes prosecutor said. The prosecutor said in a statement the search was taking place in Arandjelovac, a small town known for its marble and its mineral water 60 km (37 miles) from the capital Belgrade. "As part of a plan to locate, arrest and transfer Hague indictees, and at the order of the War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic, police units are searching some objects in the territory of Arandjelovac municipality," the statement said. Link
Reuters: Hunt for Mladi intensifies; his supporters make criminal threats (December 8, 2008) The office of Serbia's war crimes prosecutor said that authorities in the United States were investigating several people suspected of sending him death threats. Vladimir Vukcevic has received threatening letters and telephone calls for heading the team hunting Bosnian Serb wartime general Ratko Mladi, indicted for genocide by the United Nations tribunal in The Hague. The letters have mostly come from U.S. cities with large Serb communities. Link
The Guardian: ICTY is facing crisis as staff quits (December 4, 2008) Two tribunals at the centre of efforts to bring war criminals to justice are under threat because of insecurity among staff, the Guardian reported. The international criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and Rwanda (ICTR) face losing staff at a record rate, putting existing trials, including that of the former Bosnian Serb president, Radovan Karadzic, in jeopardy, sources inside the tribunals say. Link
The European Courier: ICTY's Secret Evidence (Novenber 27, 2008)
The evidence suppressed by the ICTY at the behest of Serbian authorities as part of the Milosevic case, is not only terribly relevant, but far more damning to Belgrade and certain big powers than anticipated by most outside the inner circles. The release of this evidence would open-up new questions and the search for further culpability. From that which has leaked out, there is more than enough cause to pursue the review and investigations further. Read more
EurActiv: Mladi and Hadi to be arrested soon (November 26, 2008) Speaking at a conference dedicated to the legacy of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and orgainised by the European Policy Centre (EPC), Jan Truszczynski, deputy director-general of the European Commission's enlargement directorate, said the likelihood of Mladi and Hadi being arrested was "pretty high". He claimed the information was based on reports received by the Commission from the Serbian government. Link
B92: Karadi wants to give a media interview (November 23, 2008) Radovan Karadi wants the Hague Tribunal to allow him to give an interview to a Dutch magazine, warning that otherwise his human rights will be infringed. In the same submission, Karadi asks Hague Tribunal President Patrick Robinson to overturn the Tribunal Secretariat’s decision to deny his request for the interview. The war crimes suspect asked to be allowed contact with the media, as otherwise his right to “public expression” would be violated, as would the rule of equality of all sides in the proceedings. Link
Florence Hartmann: The Al Capone Justice (November 16, 2008)
Here is our new interview with Mrs. Florence Hartmann, former spokesperson of the Prosecutor’s Office of the ICTY, who has been recently criminally indicted for disclosing confidential information showing behind-the-scene political calculation in the operation of the ICTY and its administration of justice. We discuss the Karadzic trial, Karadzic-Holbrooke deal and Mrs. Hartmann's own criminal case at the ICTY. Read more [also in Bosnian]
Javno: A hunt for Mladi intensifies (November 15, 2008)
Serbia renewed its offer to pay a million euro reward ($1.25 million) for information leading to the arrest of top war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladi, said the point man for cooperation with the U.N. war crimes tribunal. "The offer is absolutely valid. Anyone who gives us a right information that will lead us to Mladi's arrest will get one million euros," Minister Rasim Ljajic told Vecernje Novosti daily. Read more
AFP: Karadi demands disclosure of documents evidencing a deal with Holbrooke (November 8, 2008)
Radovan Karadi is demanding that prosecutors disclose alleged documents of a deal he says he struck with a top US official to avoid prosecution. His application demanded disclosure of all information "concerning the agreement made with Radovan Karadi on or about 18-19 July 1996 by Richard Holbrooke", the tribunal said. "The disclosure... may lead to the dismissal of all charges against him," read the application published by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Link
The Australian: Karadi to testify under penalty of perjury in a friend’s appeal trial (Nov. 3, 2008) Radovan Karadi is to testify Wednesday in the appeal of his former right hand man Momcilo Krajisnik against a 27-year jail term. Krajisnik was found by the ICTY to have been at the centre of a campaign of "ethnic cleansing'' that killed 100,000 people and displaced some 2.2 million in Bosnia. The court found that Krajisnik was a key figure in the Bosnian Serb leadership during that country's 1992 to 1995 war under Karadi - including membership of the national security council and the presidency. Link
Florence Hartmann refuses to enter plea to contempt charges (October 28, 2008)
Florence Hartmann, a former spokeswoman for the ICTY and one of the EuropeanCourier.org’s recent contributors, declined to enter a plea on two contempt of court charges for disclosing confidential information regarding behind the scene calculations in the Slobodan Milosevic trial. Link
The Betrayal of Srebrenica: A Commemoration “The Betrayal of Srebrenica: A Commemoration” is a traveling, documentary photographic exhibit that serves as a focal point for educational programs about the war in Bosnia (1992 - 1995), the betrayal of the UN “safe area” of Srebrenica in July 1995, and the international campaign for truth and justice. The exhibit was shown at Antioch College (October 2005), Washington and Lee University (January 2006 - December 2006), Hofstra University (September 2006 - December 2006), Wellesley College (February 2007), and Boston College (January - February 2008). A version of this exhibit was displayed in July 2005 in Sarajevo at the annual meeting of the International Association of Genocide Scholars. Link
B92: the Netherlands steps up pressure on Serbia to arrest Ratko Mladi (October 19, 2008)
Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said his country would be among the first to ratify the SAA once Serbia honors its pledge to arrest Ratko Mladi. “If the Serbian authorities honor their pledge-to cooperate fully with the Hague Tribunal-that means that they’ll arrest Ratko Mladi. Holland will then happily be the first country to ratify the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with Serbia,” Verhagen told Novi Sad daily Dnevnik. Link
Financial Times: Karadi to appear as defense witness in Krajisnik trial (October 19, 2008) Radovan Karadi, the former Bosnian Serb leader due to stand trial in The Hague, is to appear as a defense witness next month in an appeal for Momcilo Krajisnik, who was jailed for 27 years for crimes including ethnic cleansing. Link
Financial Times: Karadi to deny genocide (October 16, 2008) Karadzi will base his defense on the argument that no genocide occurred at Srebrenica, the site of arguably Europe’s worst massacre since the Second World War. Goran Petronijevic, Karadi’s chief legal adviser, said his client would argue that the killings were not genocide - a direct challenge to the Yugoslavia Tribunal’s previous rulings that forces belonging to Karadi’s ethnic Serb breakaway state killed about 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in July 1995. Link
IWPR: First testimony in Perii trial (October 13, 2008) A former war correspondent testified this week at the trial of ex-Yugoslav army chief Momcilo Perii about the destruction of Sarajevo from where he reported during 1992. Ex-Sky News journalist Aernout Van Lynden, the first prosecution witness to testify in the Perii trial at the Hague tribunal, described conditions in Sarajevo during the first year of the siege, which began in 1992 and lasted until 1995. He also told judges that he was later physically attacked by Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladi as a result of his broadcasts. Link
B92: Karadi wants information on Holbrooke (October 7, 2008) Radovan Karadi wants the Hague Prosecution to supply him with information that it has on the agreement allegedly signed with Richard Holbrooke. Karadi explains that he needs to see these documents in order to prepare his defense, as part of which he claims that on July 18-19, 1996, Holbrooke promised that the Hague Tribunal would grant him immunity from prosecution provided that he withdrew from public life. Link
The European Courier: Trial of Serbian General Perii may reveal more than Karadi proceedings (September 30, 2008)
the then Milosevic government. It remains to be seen if such evidence will be delivered behind a Court barring public access or in normal proceedings. Whether such proceedings and evidence will have direct implications in the political realm or before the International Court of Justice remains to be seen. Nonetheless, there is little doubt that the trial of General Perii is relevant to any objective evaluation of Belgrade's responsibility. By extension, could this also implicate other governments, through acquiescence or complicity after the fact, in the alleged crimes? We know that Ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey, one of our more regular contributors, has been asked to testify in the case. That testimony remains to be delivered. EuropeanCourier.org will attempt to closely follow the Perii case over the next few months in order to evaluate its implications on the regional political situation, broader European considerations and the development of international law.
Javno: Kostunica knew Karadi’s whereabouts (September 29, 2008) Evidence was found which points to former head of Serbian Security Services (BIA) Rade Bultatovic and former prime minister Vojislav Kostunica knowing where Radovan Karadi was hiding, the Novi Sad Dnevnik daily wrote. According to the paper's collocutor, just after Rade Bulatovic left the post and Sasa Vukadinovic replaced him, the BIA documentation revealed the address of “The Hague defendant” Dragan Dabic and a note from November 2007. Link
EurActiv: New indictment against Karadi filed (September 29, 2008) Prosecutors have filed an amended indictment against former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadi, asking U.N. tribunal judges to approve war crimes and genocide charges they say will lead to a more efficient trial. The new version contains the same number of charges - 11, including two of genocide - but narrows the scope of alleged criminal acts during the 1992-95 Bosnian war and reduces the areas where they were committed. Link
Links to Reports of Karadi’s latest appearance at ICTY (September 21, 2008) Here is a link to three reports of the latest Karadi's appearance at the ICTY, which were prepared by Reuters, AFP and DPA. During his latest appearance, Karadi was informed that a new indictment against him will be filed shortly. He also elaborated on his previous allegations and claimed that the immunity deal offered to him by Richard Holbrooke was in the name of the U.N. Security Council, therefore is leally binding on the ICTY. Link
Balkan Watch: The U.S. has been against authorizing the arrests of Karadi and Mladi (September 16, 2008)
Here is an interesting link to an archival issue of the Balkan Watch from November 20, 1995, which reports that the U.S. delegation in Dayton was against the arrests of Bosnian Serb war criminals, namely Radovan Karadi and Ratko Mladi. The paper reads as follows: “the Bosnian delegation demanded in writing that the peace accord and the country’s new constitution commit the signatories to ‘arrest, detain, and transfer’ indicted war criminals to the custody of the Tribunal. The U.S. did not support the request. The draft accord reportedly only commits the parties to ‘fully cooperate’ with the Tribunal.” Link
The European Courier: Hartmann's Indictment (September 11, 2008) Mrs. Florence Hartmann, one of the EuropeanCourier.org’s contributors, have been recently indicted by the ICTY in the Hague for revealing secret information in her book the “Peace and Punishment” (2007), indicating that Serbia (under Slobodan Milosevic) was directly involved in the genocide in Bosnia, which resulted in extermination of approximately 300,000 men, women and children in the 90’s. Here is an op-ed by Mr. Muhamed Sacirbey, a former foreign minister of Bosnia, who comments on said indictment. Our magazine’s official position will be stated in another op-ed, which will follow in a couple of weeks. Feel free to send us any comments you may have relating to this issue. Read more
Srebrenica Genocide Blog: Dutch soldiers to testify at Karadi's trial? (September 6, 2008)
Acccording to Serbia's Vecernje Novosti, a group of former Dutch soldiers who were stationed in Srebrenica enclave in 1995, may testify in Karadi’s trial in his favor. It is difficult to asses how credible this information is at the moment. Link
IWPR: Hartmann to challenge ICTY's charges (September 2, 2008)
Here is a link to a piece published at the Institute for War & Peace Reporting's website giving some more insight into the case of Florence Hartmann, who has been just recently indicted by ICTY for disclosing secret information sensitive to "Serbia's national security". Hartmann is to challenge the charges. Link BBC News: Karadi to challenge ICTY's jurisdiction (August 30, 2008) Appearing on Friday, August 29, Karadi refused to enter a plea to charges of war crimes at the United Nations tribunal in The Hague. A tribunal judge entered a plea of not guilty to all charges on his behalf, in line with the rules of the court. Karadi informed the court that during his next appearance on September 17, he will challenge the Tribunal's jurisdiction. He also said that he doesn't have his legal team assembled yet. He reiterated he is going to defend himself and only use lawyers as his advisors. Link ICTY: Florence Hartmann indicted (August 30, 2008) ICTY indicted Mrs. Florence Hartmann, former spokesperson for the Prosecutor's Office, who has been also contributing to the EuropeanCourier.org, for knowingly disclosing secret information in the possession of ICTY, which linked Serbia to the genocide in Bosnia. In particular, Hartmann will be prosecuted for information, which she disclosed in her book "Peace and Punishment" and also in an article published at the Bosnian Institute's website, earlier this year. Link
Mo Sacirbey: Understanding the Karadi-Holbrooke deal (August 27, 2008) On August 29, as Radovan Karadi is scheduled to make another appearance before the Tribunal, the question that is asked now: what were the motivations behind a Karadi/Holbrooke deal? Most people would question why a representative of the US Government would engage in deal making with a person who directed some of the most detestable crimes and genocide as the then president of the Republika Srpska and even after Karadi had been indicted by the ICTY? Read more
The Herald: Scottish judge will now oversee the Karadi's trial (August 25, 2008)
The Scottish judge Lord Bonomy was appointed to oversee the preparations for the genocide trial of Radovan Karadi at The Hague Tribunal. Lord Bonomy, who sat on the trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevi, until the former Yugoslav president died of a heart attack in his cell in March 2006, was appointed after the war crimes tribunal reassigned the Dutch judge who led Karadi's first appearance at the court. Link
B92: A new judge in Karadi's pre-trial procedure (August 22, 2008)
British Judge Iain Bonomy will be the pretrial judge in the process against Radovan Karadi. Bonomy was appointed by Judge Patrick Robinson from Jamaica, the presiding judge of the Trial Chamber in the Karadi case. Robinson was given the case yesterday by the Hague Tribunal President Fausto Pocar. French Judge Michelle Picard, who is not a permanent Tribunal judge, will be the third member of the pretrial chamber. That chamber could also try Karadi. Link
ICTY: Karadi's next apearance on Friday, August 29 (August 21, 2008)
According to the ICTY, further appearance of Radovan Karadi has been scheduled for Friday, August 29, in the Courtroom I commencing at 14.15. Additionally, the President of the ICTY, Fausto Pocar, changed the trial judge, replacing Justice Alphonsus Orie with another judge, ICTY spokesperson Nerma Jelai said, noting that the decision had nothing to do with Karadi's request to that effect. Link
B92: Mladi may not be in Serbia (August 21, 2008) "Until he [Mladi] is located, it will be very thankless to claim that he is in Serbia or not," said the president of the National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal in an interview with B92, adding that no one could say any longer that Serbia was not prepared to meet its obligations to the Tribunal. Link Balkan Insight: Karadi's family to be removed from the EU's black list (August 20, 2008) The family of Radovan Karadi, will soon be removed from the EU 'blacklist' so they can visit him at The Hague Tribunal. In recent years, Karadi's family and other people who were suspected of helping Karadi to evade justice, were blacklisted from traveling to European Union countries and the United States. Their bank accounts were also frozen. Link Times Online: How Karadi stirred global Islamic terror (August 17, 2008) Here is an interesting op-ed published in the Times Online a several of days ago, in which the author claims that Al-Qaeda and Bin Laden played important role in the war in Bosnia. However, contrary to Holbrooke's explanations, the author says that the terrorists did not leave Bosnia after the war ended and there is still possibility that the country may turn to extremism. Author writes that "Karadi's legacy is likely to prove more lasting than his poetry. The ethnically cleansed Bosnian Serb mini-state that he created has no plans to let non-Serbs back or to give up its aspiration to join Serbia. Of still greater moment, the Islamic reaction to Serb genocide will continue to complicate the West's defense against terrorism." Link
The West Australian: new mass grave found in Srebrenica (August 16, 2008)
According to The West Australian, a new mass grave believed to contain dozens of victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre has been discovered in eastern Bosnia. The new grave measuring at least 10 by three meters was discovered at Kamenica village, near the town of Zvornik. As the newspaper says, the Bosnian war claimed up to 200,000 lives, while some 2.2 million people - approximately half of the country's population - were forced to take refuge. Link
Blic: Discs hiding truth over agreement with Holbrooke (August 15, 2008) According to Svetozar Vujaci, member of Karadi's defense team, 'Radovan Karadi kept on the coded discs footage of talks with foreign statesmen Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Madeleine Albright, Bernard Kouchner and Slobodan Milosevic, to mention just a few. There is a lot of compromising material referring to the west governments', he said. He also added that the discs supposedly contain recorded material of Karadi's conversation with Milosevic in which they speak in details about agreement with Richard Holbrooke. This information, however, has to be regarded with caution, as Mr. Vujaci is already known for misinforming the public. Link
Spiegel International: Nobody seriously looking for Mladi until 2000 (August 14, 2008) In an interview with German Spiegel, Rasim Ljajic, Serbia's labor minister and country's most prominent Muslim politician, said that until 2000 nobody was seriously looking for Ratko Mladi. He said that "Mladi was hiding in various military installations at the time, and we were worried that if he were arrested, there would be a conflict between the military and the police. Until June 1, 2002 he hid in three military installations and subsequently until the end of 2005 in many Belgrade apartments. Unfortunately, we didn't find out about all that until afterwards." Link
B92: Karadi's laptop found (August 12, 2008) The authorities say a bag containing what is suspected to be Radovan Karadi's laptop has been found. The Action Team for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal said that the bag, found on Monday on the Batajnica road, contained 55 discs, as well as newspaper cuttings, and two books. It is believed that Karadi was saving documents on said laptop for his future defense before the ICTY. Link B92: Hartmann says CIA protected Karadi (August 10, 2008) In her recent interview, Florence Hartmann, a former spokesperson of the ICTY, claims that during the summer of 2005, two CIA agents asked the Bosnia-Herzegovina police to put an end to a surveillance operation directed at Karadi's family members, ordered previously by Del Ponte and the Hague Tribunal. Link
James Luko, a former UN political affairs officer in Bosnia and Hague Tribunal investigator, told Belgrade's daily Blic that British General Angus Ramsey, former commander of British peacekeepers in Bosnia, was ordered by superiors in London to leave Karadi alone just minutes before British troops prepared to capture him in August, 1997. Link
Prof. Ingrao: There is Evidence of Holbrooke's Deal (August 8, 2008)
The EuropeanCourier.org conducts an interview with Prof. Charles W. Ingrao of the Purdue University's Department of History, the head of the Scholars' Initiative for the Yugoslav Controversies, who obtained independent evidence indicating that the U.S. made a secret deal with Radovan Karadi to prevent his arrest. Read more
Balkan Insight (video): Holbrooke says Karadi's claims are "a crap" (August 6, 2008) Here is a link to a very interesting interview, which Richard Holbrooke gave to the Balkan Insight in 2006, which was uploaded to Google Videos in February this year. Holbrooke agrees that there was no political will to capture Karadi and Mladi by NATO's forces. He also loses resolve when the journalist asks him about the secret deal with Karadi, saying that he is "tired of hearing this crap". He denies making any secret deals with Karadi. He also discusses Kosovo's independence and the regional conflict in Georgia's Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Video
Balkan Insight: Prof. Charles Ingrao of Purdue University confirms existence of illegal deal between the Clinton Administration and war criminal Karadi (August 6, 2008) Prof. Charles Ingrao of Purdue University confirms that through mediators, Holbrooke made a deal with Karadi in order to remove him from the political stage in the Republica Srpska. Ingrao said his information came from four independent sources in the US State Department whose names he could not divulge. "We cannot reveal their identities, since they are still very active and would, in some cases, suffer professionally," he said. Ingrao added that a top State Department official with intimate knowledge of Holbrooke's activities has confirmed to him that Holbrooke explicitly assured Karadi that he would not be arrested, "a concession known to several others at the State Department who have remained silent." Link Blic: Serbia's Defense Minister calls upon Mladi and Hadzi to surrender (August 6, 2008) In an interview given to "Blic", Serbia's Minister of Defense, Dragan Sutanovac called upon Ratko Mladi and Goran Hadzi to turn themselves in. The Minister claimed that they have either to turn themselves in or be arrested very soon so that Serbia, respecting both its and international law, can get a status that it and its citizens deserve. Link Reuters: Karadi demands Holbrooke, Albright appear in court (August 6, 2008) In a letter submitted today to the Tribunal, Karadi demanded that former U.S. peace mediator Richard Holbrooke and ex-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright appear at the U.N. war crimes tribunal to give sworn testimony regarding his claims of an immunity offer from the United States. He also wants William Stuebner (former U.S. diplomat) and Richard Goldstone (former Chief ICTY's prosecutor) to be summoned as witnesses. Here is a link to short interview with Steubner. Karadzic also filed two other motions, asking for copies of his arrest warrant and orders to freeze his assets. Link
The European Courier: Mladi in Grave (August 5, 2008)
It has long been rumored that General Ratko Mladi is suffering from a terminal illness, presumably cancer. In the last few weeks, Mladi’s imminent death has been reported by the regional media, and from several sources. Time will only tell how imminent Mladi’s death is, but it appears that his health is seriously in question. Read more Azerbaijani Trend News Agency: Francis A. Boyle, a professor of international law at the University of Illinois, calls for criminal indictment of Richard Holbrooke and several other prominent former officials (August 4, 2008) According to attorney for the Association of Bosnian Muslims, professor Francis A. Boyle of the University of Illinois College of Law, there is already enough evidence to indict Richard Holbrooke, along with Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Kofi Annan, Yasushi Akashi, David Owen, Thorvald Stoltenberg and Carl Bildt, for aiding and abetting war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and ethnic cleansing in Bosnia. Boyle claims there are lots of facts to prove that Richard Holbrooke, acting on behalf of the United States, had collusion with the war criminal, Radovan Karadi. Link
Blic/AFP: Karadi was protected by the U.S. until he broke the 'deal' (August 4, 2008)
Documents: Karadi's letter to the Tribunal (August 3, 2008) Here is a link to the English translation of the letter Karadi submitted to the Tribunal on last Friday. Link
The European Courier: The 'Karadi-Gate' (August 3, 2008)
If Serbia was to take revenge on America for recognizing Kosovo's independence, it could have been done only through the handover of Karadi to the ICTY. Enormous dirt will be thrown at the United States, American politicians, diplomats and its methods of conducting diplomacy during that trial, what may only weaken the U.S. political leadership and trustworthiness in the region. Read more
Reuters: Holbrooke dismisses Karadi's claims (July 31, 2008) The former U.S. peace mediator for Bosnia, Richard Holbrooke, dismissed a claim by Radovan Karadi that the United States had offered a deal that would spare him prosecution for war crimes. Karadi told the court he had received an offer from Holbrooke on behalf of the U.S. government under which Karadi would withdraw from public life and take other steps and Washington would persuade prosecutors to drop the indictment against him. Link Elie Wiesel: Remembering Karadi (July 31, 2008)
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate remembers Radovan Karadi: " I did talk with Slobodan Milosevic. And with Karadi, in whose palace - a real fortress - the meeting took place. His gaze was icy, haunted, unearthly. He was the all-powerful master. Why so many executions, so many murders? Was it because of some violent mysticism, a cult of death? No. For him, it was something else: a fascination with holding absolute power over his enemies as well as his allies.I asked him why he had had the famous Sarajevo National Library burned down. Given that he himself wanted to be known as a psychiatrist and a poet, was he afraid of books and their human and humanist truth?" Link
Blic magazine publishes pictures of Karadi's new image (without beard). They also quote ICTY's chief prosecutor who said that the trial against Karadi shall be long and complex but 'the Prosecution shall make efforts to present the huge amount of proofs as efficiently as possible... with the full respect of the right of defense'. Link
Globe and Mail: Serbia's sophisticated political considerations behind the Karadi's arrest (July 30, 08) The Globe and Mail publishes an op-ed by Andre Gerolymatos, a writer about the Balkan issues and a lecturer at the Simon Fraser University, who analyzes Serbia's political motives behind the Karadi's arrest. The author argues that "the arrest of Mr. Karadi is the result of geopolitical considerations - the Serbs want to join the West and the West now needs Serbia. In an ironic twist of events, oil and pipelines have lubricated the wheels of justice." In the author's opinion, the arrest is interconnected with the energy policy in the region. We disagree with the conclusions of the article and will soon offer our own analysis of Serbia's possible motives behind the Karadi's arrest. Stay tuned. Link AP: Karadi to plea "not guilty" (July 30, 2008) Radovan Karadi was placed in his cell at the ICTY in the Hague today. The Tribunal spokesperson said that they will "ensure his well being and right to a fair trial as much as possible and in accordance with the highest international standards." Karadi's lawyer, Svetozar Vujai, said his client will postpone entering a formal plea for 30 days, the maximum allowed under court rules. U.N. war crimes prosecutor Serge Brammertz said it will take months before the prosecution and defense are ready for Karadi's trial. Vujai acknowledged he never filed an appeal against Karadi's extradition from Serbia. Link
Reuters: Karadi's trial will be battle over history (July 29, 2008) According to Reuters, "the trial of Radovan Karadi will be part preacher's sermon, part revisionist forum and part press event, as his supporters prepare a marathon defence they say will change the world's view of the Yugoslav wars. [...] The group, the 'International Committee for the Truth about Radovan Karadi', has prepared a defense file running to thousands of pages, partly based on a series of books containing Karadi's wartime letters, interviews, and speeches." Link RTS TV: Serbia's TV broadcasts a short video showing Karadi prior to his arrest (July 28, 2008) Serbia's public TV channel "RTS" broadcasted a short video showing Radovan Karadi at a picnic organized on June 22, 2008, at the "Plodnost" Clinic. Click on the link, scroll down to the middle of the webpage and click on a camera icon to watch the video. Link
Reuters: Karadi to be smuggled to the ICTY covertly (July 28, 2008) According to the Reuters, the transfer of Radovan Karadi to the war crimes tribunal in the Hague will be carried out covertly to avoid media attention and planned protests by nationalist supporters of the former Bosnian Serb leader. Link B92: William D. Montgomery's views on Karadi's arrest (July 28, 2008) Here is an interesting article by William D. Montgomery, a former U.S. ambassador to Bulgaria and Croatia as well as Bill Clinton's and Madeleine Albright's advisor for the Bosnian Peace Implementation, in which he comments on the Karadi's arrest. Montgomery says that "it is unknown at this point if Karadi will say anything about his years as a fugitive. It will be interesting if he tells the truth and probably even more interesting and controversial if he mixes some lies and allegations in as well. There is an insatiable demand and a readiness to believe any sort of statement he may give, no matter how implausible, about relationships with foreign governments, Serbian officials, and the Republika Srpska." Link The Times: Gen. Mladi regularly visits his daughter's grave (July 27, 2008)
U.S. Federal Court: $4.5 billion in damages for Karadi's victims (July 27, 2008) In 2000, the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, awarded $4.5 billion in damages from Karadi to his victims. Karadi was served with a Summons and Complain in 1993 while visiting the United Nations' headquarters. Subsequently, he moved to dismiss the Complaint based on lack of personal and subject matter jurisdiction. His motion was originally granted but the order was reversed by the Appellate Court. After that, Karadi lost interest in the action and eventually was directed to pay damages to the victims. In that lawsuit, Karadi was defended by Ramsey Clark, a former U.S. Attorney General under President Lyndon B. Johnson. Here is a link to a selection of documents pertaining to that lawsuit, available at the servers of the Yale University. Link The Observer: the Karadi's arrest causes a setback for Bosnia (July 27, 2008) According to Paddy Ashdown, a former High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Karadi's arrest causes a setback for Bosnia, with Republika Srpska openly contemplating a secession. Ashdown says that Republika Srpska's premier, Milorad Dodik, is "now aggressively reversing a decade of reforms. He has set up the parallel institutions and sent delegations to Montenegro to find out how they broke away. He has used the autonomy granted by the Dayton Agreement to undermine the Bosnia Dayton envisaged. We do not have to speculate on his intentions, for he has said them himself. He does not think Bosnia can survive and does not want it to. He does not regard Republika Srpska as part of a state, but as a state in itself." Link
The Daily Telegraph: Karadi has a humane face (July 27, 2008) In an informative, though written in a very bizarre style, article the Daily Telegraph extensively describes Karadi's life before his capture. The newspaper informs how he was alienated from his bodyguards and friends by the fact that the U.S. offered $5 million for information leading to his arrest and explains that Karadi was deeply missing his wife and children all that time. The Daily Telegraph uses very friendly and positive narrative for Karadi's story calling him "Elvis-like" and "Gandalf-like". Expressions which are associated very positively in the readers' minds. Both Elvis Presley and Gandalf (a fictitious person in J.R.R.. Tolkien's book) were heros not villains. Link
New York Times: Karadi may be acquitted of genocide charges (July 26, 2008) The New York Times publishes an interesting interview with Timothy William Waters, a law professor at the Indiana University who helped prepare the indictment of Slobodan Milosevic for war crimes in Kosovo. Prof. Waters believes "it is possible that Karadi will be convicted of crimes against humanity or war crimes, but acquitted on genocide charges. For many observers of the Yugoslav wars, such an outcome would be a grave setback for the project of international justice. For others, of course, the near-total certainty that Karadi will be convicted is itself a cause for concern - proof that the I.C.T.Y. is institutionally biased against Serbs or simply troubling as a matter of legitimate legal process." Link ICTY's Case Information Sheet: The Prosecutor v. Radovan Karadi and Ratko Mladi (July 26, 2008) Radovan Karadi, is charged on the basis of individual criminal responsibility (Article 7(1)) and superior
criminal responsibility (Article 7(3)) with:
Reuters: Karadi's property may be confiscated to reward victims (July 26, 2008) As well as charges of genocide, Radovan Karadi faces repossession of his property to pay for a fortune he is said to have embezzled and the billions of dollars awarded to victims who sued him for damages. Several groups of victims filed lawsuits in the United States against him over the atrocities, and in the late 1990s were awarded billions of dollars in damages. Link
Reuters: Karadi was in hands of Austrian police last year, but was released unrecognized (July 26, 08) According to Reuters, Radovan Karadi evaded capture last year when Austrian police raided a Vienna apartment where he was staying but did not recognize the disguised war crimes suspect. The Austrian Interior Ministry confirmed the raid, which took place on May 4, 2007, and said policemen who took part in recognized Karadi as the man they saw in the apartment when they saw his pictures after his capture. Link Australian ABC News: ICTY's prosecutors will oppose Karadi defending himself (July 25, 2008) A spokeswoman for the prosecutor at the ICTY says they will oppose the move by Karadi to represent himself. "The prosecution has consistently opposed self representation in these cases and that's because these cases are quite complex," she said. Link
Michigan Journal of International Law: Karadi's poet-warrior activity. (July 25, 2008) If you remember from history, Hitler wanted to be an artist and he was painting. Karadi wanted to be an artist as well and he has been writing poems. Some of the European newspapers make fun of it today and quote it as a curiosity. However, here is an interesting piece published previously in the Michigan Journal of International Law analyzing Karadi's genocide-time poetry and its use as a character evidence under ICTY's rules. Beware poets! You don't know day and minute your poetry may be used against you. Link
ICTY: Indictment against Karadi includes 11 counts and is being reviewed. (July 24, 2008) Prosecution spokeswoman, Olga Kavran, confirmed that the indictment against Karadi contained 11 counts. The ICTY's Prosecution Office is checking to see whether said indictment needs to be updated, amended or changed. Meanwhile, Radovan Karadzic's lawyer Svetozar Vujai said that two teams from Serbia, an expert and legal team, would help his client in his defense at the Hague. He said that the expert team would include Belgrade Law School Professor Kosta avoski, Smilja Avramov and Milivoje Ivanisevi. Vujai also added that he would suggest that, besides himself, lawyers Toma Fila and Goran Petronijevi be included in Karadzi's legal team, and reiterated that the former Bosnian Serb leader would defend himself. Link
B-92: Big protests in Belgrade against the 'dictatorship' of President Tadi (July 24, 2008) Protests against the 'dictatorship' of President Boris Tadi are scheduled to take place in Belgrade on Tuesday next week. The rally is to be headed by Luka Karadzi, the brother of Radovan's. Link
Washington Post: Holbrooke never shook hands with Karadzi... met him once... spoke to him once (July 24, 2008) Writing for the Washington Post, Richard Holbrooke, a former senior diplomat in the Clinton Administration responsible for negotiating a peace agreement between the Bosnian Serbs and their Muslim victims, asserted that he met Radovan Karadzi, the leader of the Bosnian Serbs, only once in his life on September 13, 1995. During that meeting he never shook hands with Karadzi and addressed him directly only once while informing that the U.S. delegation works for President Clinton. Link
The Daily Telegraph: General Ratko Mladic 'will commit suicide rather than face justice'. (July 24, 2008) According to the British newspaper, General Ratko Mladi, presently the most wanted criminal in Europe and the second most wanted in the world after Osama bin Laden, threatened to commit a suicide if the Serb police forces attempt to capture him. The Daily Telegraph asserts that Mladi "is living in an urban environment in Serbia with two security guards who are under orders to shoot him before he is captured". Link |
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Telegraph.co.uk: Holbrooke's deal invalid under international law (December 29, 2008)
In hindsight, it is evident that the ultra-nationalist vision of BiH mostly dictated by forces from outside of BiH during the Dayton talks, has prevailed in the application of the Accords. As a reaction to the plot set 
Belgrade's chief of military during much of the war in Bosnia & Herzegovina and the genocide of Srebrenica goes on trial October 1, 2008. The trial has been delayed for months and now may be overshadowed by the proceedings and pending trial of Radovan 
Blic: 
According to the Times, General Mladi has regularly been spotted visiting the grave of his daughter Ana. Ana Mladi killed herself in 1994 at the age of 23 when she discovered that her father was behind ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and was responsible for the siege of Sarajevo. After her death, Ratko Mladi became even more maniacal and ordered further mass murders, mass rapes and ethnic cleansing that became the biggest bloodbath in Europe since the Second World War. At her funeral, Mladi was supposed to say that he "failed as a father". More appropriately, though, would be if he acknowledged that he failed as a human being in the first place. 