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Radovan Karadžić (Serbian: Радован Караџић, IPA: [râdovaːn kâraʤiʨ]; born 19 June 1945 in Petnjica, SR Montenegro, SFR Yugoslavia) is a former Bosnian Serb politician, poet and psychiatrist who was a fugitive from 1995 until 21 July 2008[1] after having been indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, Netherlands. He was arrested in Belgrade on 21 July 2008 and brought before Belgrade's War Crimes Court.[2] For some time he had been working at a private clinic in Belgrade specialising in alternative medicine and psychology under the alias Dr. Dragan David Dabić under the company name of "Human Quantum Energy".[3]
There had been an outstanding international arrest warrant against Karadžić for more than a decade following Rule 61 of ICTY which concluded that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the accused has committed war crimes including genocide, against Bosnian Muslim and Bosnian Croat civilians during the Bosnian War (1992–1995).[4] The United States government had offered a $5 million reward for his and Ratko Mladić's arrests.[5]
[edit] Early life
Radovan Karadžić was born in Petnjica near Šavnik, SR Montenegro, SFR Yugoslavia (SFRY) to a family hailing from the Drobnjaci Montenegrin clan. His father, Vuko, had been a member of the Chetniks — the army of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia's government in exile during World War II. His father was imprisoned by the post-war communist regime for much of his son's childhood. Karadžić moved to Sarajevo, Yugoslavia in 1960 to pursue his studies in psychiatry at the Sarajevo University School of Medicine. He studied neurotic disorders and depression at Næstved Hospital in Denmark in 1970, and during 1974 and 1975 he spent a year pursuing further medical training at Columbia University in New York.[6][7] After his return to Yugoslavia, he worked in the Koševo Hospital. He also became a poet and fell under the influence of the Serbian writer Dobrica Ćosić, who encouraged him to go into politics.
Soon after graduation, Karadžić started working in a treatment centre at the psychiatric clinic of the main Sarajevo hospital, Koševo. In 1983, Karadžić started working at a hospital in the Belgrade suburb of Voždovac. On 1 November 1984 Karadžić and associate Momčilo Krajišnik were arrested by the communist authorities on fraud charges and spent 11 months in detention before their friend Nikola Koljević managed to bail them out.[8] Due to lack of evidence, Karadžić was released and trial was brought to a halt. The trial was revived and on 26 September 1985 Karadžić was sentenced to three years in prison for embezzlement and fraud. As he had already spent over a year in detention, Karadžić never had to serve this sentence.[9]
[edit] Political life
In 1989 he co-founded the Serbian Democratic Party (Srpska Demokratska Stranka) in Bosnia and Herzegovina which aimed at gathering the Republic's Bosnian Serb community and joining Croatian Serbs in leading them in staying part of Yugoslavia in the event of secession by those two republics from the federation.
A separate Serb Assembly was founded on 24 October 1991, in order to exclusively represent the Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The leading Serb political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina, led by Radovan Karadžić, organized the creation of "Serb autonomous provinces" (SAOs) within Bosnia and the establishment of an assembly to represent them. In November 1991, the Bosnian Serbs held a referendum which resulted in an overwhelming vote in favour of staying in a federal state with Serbia and Montenegro, as part of Yugoslavia. On 9 January 1992, the Bosnian Serb Assembly proclaimed the Republic of the Serb people of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Република српског народа Босне и Херцеговине / Republika srpskog naroda Bosne i Hercegovine). On 28 February 1992, the constitution of the Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was adopted and declared that the state's territory included Serb autonomous regions, municipalities, and other Serbian ethnic entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it was declared to be a part of the federal Yugoslav state.
On 29 February and 1 March 1992 a referendum on the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina from Yugoslavia was held. Many Serbs boycotted the referendum while Bosniaks and Croats and pro-secession Serbs turned out, and 64% of eligible voters voted 98% in favor of independence. However Bosnian law required the consent of all three ethnic groups[citation needed]. On 6 April 1992, Bosnia was recognized by the UN as an independent state. Karadžić became the first president of the Bosnian Serb administration in Pale on or about 13 May 1992 after the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. At the time he assumed this position, his de jure powers, as described in the constitution of the Bosnian Serb administration, included, but were not limited to, commanding the army of the Bosnian Serb administration in times of war and peace, and having the authority to appoint, promote and discharge officers of the army.
[edit] War crimes charges
Karadžić is accused of personal and command responsibility for numerous war crimes committed against non-Serbs, in his roles as Supreme Commander of the Bosnian Serb armed forces and President of the National Security Council of the Republika Srpska. Under his direction and command, Bosnian Serb forces initiated the Siege of Sarajevo and carried out numerous massacres across Bosnia. Tens of thousands of non-Serbs were killed, hundreds of thousands were driven from their homes and thousands more were imprisoned in concentration camps where many died. He is accused of ordering the Srebrenica massacre in 1995, directing Bosnian Serb forces to "create an unbearable situation of total insecurity with no hope of further survival of life" in the UN safe area. In addition, he is accused of ordering that United Nations personnel be taken hostage in May-June 1995.
He was jointly indicted by the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in 1995, along with General Ratko Mladić. The indictment charges Karadžić on the basis of his individual criminal responsibility (Article 7(1) of the Statute) and superior criminal responsibility (Article 7(3) of the Statute) with:
- Five counts of crimes against humanity (Article 5 of the Statute - extermination, murder, persecutions on political, racial and religious grounds, persecutions, inhumane acts (forcible transfer));
- Three counts of violations of the laws of war (Article 3 of the Statute - murder, unlawfully inflicting terror upon civilians, taking hostages);
- One count of grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions (Article 2 of the Statute - willful killing).[10]
- Unlawful transfer of civilians because of religious or national identity.[11]
[edit] Fugitive
Radovan Karadžić in January, 2008, appearing at a medical conference in Belgrade under the alias
Dr. Dragan David Dabić, bearded and with his hair in a pony tail
Authorities missed arresting Karadžić in 1995, when he was an invitee of the United Nations. During his visit to the United Nations in 1993, he was handed a service of process for a civil claim under the Alien Tort Act. The Courts ruled that Karadžić was properly served and the trial was allowed to proceed in United States District Court.[12]
His supporters say that he is no more guilty than any other war-time political leader. His ability to evade capture for over a decade made him a local hero among the Bosnian Serbs, despite an alleged deal with Richard Holbrooke[citation needed]. In 2001, hundreds of supporters demonstrated in support of Karadžić in his home town. In March 2003, his mother, Jovanka, publicly urged him not to surrender[citation needed].
In November 2004, British defence officials conceded that military action was unlikely to be successful in bringing Karadžić and other suspects to trial, and that putting political pressure on Balkan governments would be more likely to succeed[citation needed].
In 2005, Bosnian Serb leaders called on Karadžić to surrender, stating that Bosnia and Serbia could not move ahead economically or politically while he remained at large. After a failed raid earlier in May, on 7 July 2005 NATO troops arrested Karadžić's son, Aleksandar (Saša) Karadžić but released him after 10 days.[13] On 28 July, Karadžić's wife, Ljiljana Zelen Karadžić, made a call for him to surrender[14] after, in her words, "enormous pressure" had been put onto her.[15]
The BBC reported that Radovan Karadžić had been sighted in 2005 near Foča: "38 km (24 miles) down the road, on the edge of the Sutjeska national park, Radovan Karadžić has just got out of a red Mercedes" and asserted that "Western intelligence agencies knew roughly where they were, but that there was no political will in London or Washington to risk the lives of British, or US agents, in a bid to seize" him and Mladić.[16]
On 10 January 2008, the BBC reported that the passports of his closest relatives had been seized.[17] In 21 February 2008, at the time Kosovo declared independence, portraits of Radovan Karadžić were on display during Belgrade’s Kosovo is Serbia protest. [18]
Karadžić gave lectures in front of hundreds of people on alternative medicine. He even had his own Web site - "Psy Help Energy" and on a website, he offered his assistance in the treatment of sexual problems and disorders by using what he called HQE (Human Quantum Energy). He also used the site for the sale of metallic bullet-shaped amulets. He advertised himself as one of the most prominent experts in the field of alternative medicine, bioenergy, and macrobiotic diet. Karadžić had been masquerading as an expert in "human quantum energy" using the fake name "D.D. David" printed on his business card. The initials apparently stood for Dragan David Dabić, the name officials said he went by. [19][20][21]
[edit] Arrest and trial
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The arrest of Radovan Karadžić took place on 21 July 2008[22] in Belgrade. The date of Radovan Karadžić's transfer into the ICTY custody will be determined in due course.[23]
[edit] Poetry
Radovan Karadžić published poems. Several books were published while he was in hiding.
- 1990: Crna bajka (Svjetlost, Sarajevo)
- 1992: Rat u Bosni: kako je počelo
- 1994: Ima čuda, nema čuda
- 2001: Od Ludog koplja do Crne bajke (Dobrica knjiga, Novi Sad)
- 2004: Čudesna hronika noći (IGAM, Belgrade)
- 2005: Pod levu sisu veka (Književna zajednica "Veljko Vidaković", Niš)
[edit] Quotes
- "You want to take Bosnia-Hercegovina down the same highway of hell and suffering that Slovenia and Croatia are travelling. Do not think that you will not lead Bosnia-Hercegovina into hell, and do not think that you will not perhaps lead the Muslim people into annihilation, because the Muslims cannot defend themelves if there is war - How will you prevent everyone from being killed in Bosnia-Hercegovina?"[8] — Radovan Karadžić speaking at the Bosnian parliament, on the night of 14-15th October 1991, in a charged atmosphere in a debate whether to declare republic "sovereign", which would mean that republican laws would take precedece over Yugoslav ones.
[edit] Awards and medals
[edit] Trivia
- After graduation, Karadžić has flirted with Bosnia's Green Party. During his spell as a ecologist, he had declared that "Bolshevism is bad, but nationalism is even worse"[8], and was remembered for making suggestions about food labelling.[citation needed]
- Karadžić shares genetic lineage along Drobnjaci line with 19th century Serbian language reformer and folk epics collector Vuk Stefanović Karadžić.[citation needed] In 1992 for the BBC documentary Serbian epics film director Paweł Pawlikowski has managed to persuade Karadžić to play gusle in the preserved house of Vuk Karadžić, and to sing his favourite epic. In a later scene Karadžić looked down on a besieged Sarajevo with Eduard Limonov, a Russian writer, and told him about the poetry he had published, having recalled how more than two decades ago he had written a poem beginning:
- "I can hear disaster walking,
- The city is burning..."
- "Everything I saw in terms of a fight, in terms of war, in army terms", said Karadžić[8]
- The warrior figure of Karadžić is often a starring role in largely unrecorded opus of modern Serbian epic poetry. One of the anonymous gusle singers Pawlikowski recorded compares Karadžić, as he prepares to depart for Geneva for peace talk, to Karađorđe, who had led the first uprising agains the Turks in 1904[8]:
- "Hey, Radovan, you man of steel!
- The greatest leader since Karađorđe!
- Defend our freedom and our faith,
- On the shores of Lake Geneva."
- While living the life of Dr. David Dabić, Karadžić hired web designer Zoran Pavlović to build him a web site to offer the services of healing sexual disorders, depression, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and general life's difficulties. According to his testimony, while having a conversation with Dr. Dragan, a topic of Holland came up. Zoran told Karadžić that he went to Hague court and Scheveningen prison facility, to inquire on the treatment of his countrymen convicted by the ICTY. He recalled saying to Karadžić: "David, Scheveningen is a wonderful place you definitely must visit. It's full of hotels, beaches, really a wonderful place on Earth". Karadžić reportedly shrugged and replied: "Well, yes, OK, it's a deal". [26]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Ljajić: Karadžić arrested on Monday
- ^ "Serbia captures fugitive Karadzic", BBC News, BBC (2008-07-21). Retrieved on 2008-07-21.
- ^ Karadzic lived as long-haired, New Age doctor
- ^ "Serbia captures fugitive Karadzic", JANG News, JANG (2008-07-21). Retrieved on 2008-07-21.
- ^ Rewards for Justice
- ^ "Karadzic: Psychiatrist-turned 'Butcher of Bosnia'". CNN (2008-07-22). Retrieved on 2008-07-23.
- ^ Info on graduate studies at Columbia U.
- ^ a b c d e Judah, Tim (1997). The Serbs: History, Myth and the Destruction of Yugoslavia. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
- ^ "Radovan Karadžić captured". Serbian newspaper Politika. Retrieved on 2008-07-22.
- ^ UN Indictment
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7520682.stm
- ^ [Kadić v. Karadžić, 70 F.3d 232 (2d Cir. 1995)] Agreement
- ^ BBC
- ^ BBC News
- ^ Yugoslavia News, 7/29/05
- ^ "Why Bosnia's most wanted run free", BBC News, BBC (2008-06-28). Retrieved on 2008-07-21.
- ^ BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Karadzic family passports seized
- ^ Photos 2 and 4 of the essay “Belgrade Riots”, TIME Magazine, February 21, 2008
- ^ http://www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2008&mm=07&dd=22&nav_id=309674
- ^ http://www.index.hr/vijesti/clanak/karadzicevi-savjeti-kod-problema-sa-seksom-najbolja-je-terapija-u-paru/395880.aspx
- ^ http://www.wral.com/news/national_world/world/story/3250779/
- ^ Ljajić: Karadžić arrested on Monday
- ^ Radovan Karadzic set for war crimes trial at The Hague
- ^ MONTENEGRIN P.E.N. CENTER
- ^ www.ANTIC.org Moscow: SHOLOHOV PRIZE TO MILOSEVIC
- ^ B92, Karadžić worked as a doctor
[edit] External links
ICTY Indictment
Poetry and alternative medicine
