Radovan Karadzic is being accused of genocide and numerous other crimes, related to the Srebrenica massacre. During his trial, the former Bosnian Serb leader told the UN tribunal that they had no significant evidence against him. Prosecutors suggested a life in prison sentence. Karadzic , the 69-year old leader of the Bosnian Serbs from the 1990s was arrested in 2008. For thirteen years he had been on the run, hiding. He is facing eleven charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. He was given 10 hours to speak in court and defend himself. Radovan Karadzic accepted “moral responsibility” for the crimes but denied having ordered murders. The verdict is expected to be delivered in a year’s time.
Over 7,500 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed by the Bosnian Serbs in Srebrenica, in July 1995. These crimes are considered the worst in the recent history of Europe, right after the crimes committed during World War Two. The conflict began when former Yugoslavia was separated. This break up led to a series of violent interethnic fights during the war, between 1991 and 1999. Karadzic came to the courthouse prepared with a written brief, more than 800 pages long. He argued that he was completely unaware of the killing taking place while he was a leader, however he does take responsibility for the crimes committed by the citizens and the forces of the Bosnian Serb republic. Karadzic stated: “It is the Serb people that stand accused. I know the truth, the prosecution knows the truth, and they are trying to delude the court.”
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Alan Tieger, the UN prosecutor assigned to the case argued that Karadzic’s policy of ethnic cleansing had been entirely exposed. Between 1992 and 1995, Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) looked for refuge in Srebrenica, while the Bosnian Serb army was trying to expel the non- Serb population. Srebrenica had been declared a safety zone for civilians in 1993, but safety lasted for only two years, and Srebenica fell in 1995. Karadzic is basically accused of leading a campaign for ethnic cleansing of the country, together with Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic. Karadzic was arrested in 2008 in Belgrade where he had been hiding for 13 years, disguised as a faith healer.