Former Bosnian Serb Leader Karadzic Arrested in Serbia, Russia Considers it as Serbia's Internal Affair

www.chinaview.cn 2008-07-22 08:30:10

·Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic was arrested on Monday night in Serbia. ·Karadzic, 63, was indicted by the ICTY for genocide during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war. ·Chief Prosecutor of the ICTY Serge Brammertz welcomed the news of Karadzic's arrest.

BELGRADE, July 21 (Xinhua) --

Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, a top war crimes suspect, was arrested on Monday night in Serbia, the office of Serbian President Boris Tadic said in a statement.

"Karadzic was brought to the investigative judge of the War Crimes Court in Belgrade, in accordance with the law on cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)," said the statement, adding that the raid was conducted by the Serbian security forces.

The brief statement did not disclose any further information about the time and place of Karadzic's arrest.

Quoting "reliable sources," the Serbian Beta news agency reported that Karadzic was arrested in Belgrade.

Karadzic, 63, was indicted by the ICTY for genocide during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war and had been hiding since 1998.

Serbia has been under heavy pressure from the European Union to turn over Karadzic and his wartime commander Gen. Ratko Mladic to the ICTY.

The ICTY on several occasions claimed to have had information that showed Karadzic was in Serbia "at least from time to time", and that in 2004 he was located in Belgrade.

Karadzic's capture came two weeks after Serbia got a new pro-European government dominated by Tadic's pro-Western Democratic Party, with the support of the reformed Socialists of late president Slobodan Milosevic.

Serbian state television RTS reported that the Interior Ministry's elite Gendarmerie were out in force Monday night securing the Special Court building. This television also broadcast footage of Karadzic's brother Luka entering the court's premises.

In Holland, where the ICTY is based, Chief Prosecutor of the ICTY Serge Brammertz, who is due to visit Belgrade on Tuesday, welcomed the news of Karadzic's arrest late on Monday.

"My colleagues in Belgrade have informed me about a successful action the outcome of which was the arrest of Radovan Karadzic," a statement from the tribunal said.

"This is a very important day for the victims who have awaited this arrest for over a decade. This is also an important day for international justice, because it clearly shows that no one is above the law and that all fugitives will face justice sooner or later," the statement said.

The arrest brings the number of war crimes suspects still at large to only two: former Bosnian Serb Army Commander Ratko Mladicand Goran Hadzic, one of the former Croatian Serb leaders.

Russia considers arrest of Karadzic as Serbia's internal affair

www.chinaview.cn 2008-07-22 18:43:08

MOSCOW, July 22 (Xinhua) --

The arrest of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic is Serbia's internal affair and Serbia should decide for itself whether Karadzic is to face an international tribunal, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

"We regard this fact as Serbia's domestic affair and the leadership of the Serbia Republic," a source at the foreign ministry was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying.

"The Serbian side should make a decision on its own concerning the further fate of Karadzic, including his extradition to the international tribunal," the source said.

According to the office of Serbian President Boris Tadic, Karadzic was arrested on Monday night in Serbia. The 63-year-old top war crime suspect was indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for genocide during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war and had been hiding since 1998.

The arrest of Karadzic was one of the main conditions specified by the European Union (EU) for granting Serbia membership. Serbia has been under heavy pressure from the EU to turn over Karadzic and his wartime commander Gen. Ratko Mladic to the ICTY.

Editor: Jiang Yuxia

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