Radovan Karadzic Still At Large; Older Brother Indicted

Radovan Karadzic, the former Serbian leader who has been the target of a decade-long international manhunt, is said to have published a book of poetry last month and is widely thought to be in hiding in Republika Srpska, the Serb half of Bosnia.^[1]

However, outgoing EUFOR Commander Major-General David Leakey stated today that there was little chance EU forces would arrest Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic any time soon.^[2] "We have completely as it were drained the swamp and these people cannot now move with freedom. . . I don't believe that . . . Karadzic will ever risk moving freely in Bosnia and Hercegovina."^[3] Leakey’s comments were made in the context of the hand-over of command of EUFOR to Major-General Gian Marco Chiarini of the Italian army today in Sarajevo.^[4]

In the meantime, Luka Karadzic, the older brother of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, was formally charged in Belgrade with dangerous driving in connection with a July 2005 accident in which one person died.^[5] Karadzic is alleged to have been driving under the influence at the time of the head-on collision and could face up to three years under state law if convicted.

The elder Karadzic has been outspoken in his support of his brother, and has been highly vocal in his opposition to international efforts to pressure family members into cooperating with capture efforts.^[6] Last summer, reacting to a tearful and public appeal by his sister-in-law that Karadzic surrender, he charged that forcing his sister-in-law to make such a public statement was "more brutal torture."^[7]

Radovan Karadzic was indicted for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity by the ICTY in 1995.^[8] Before going into hiding in 1995, Karadzic denied the charges against him and refused to recognize the legitimacy of the UN tribunal.^[9]

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[1] Guardian Unlimited, Bosnia Agrees to Remake Divided Government, November 22, 2005, available here.
[2] BBC News World Edition, Bosnia Most Wanted “Out of Reach,” December 6, 2005, available here.
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
[5] Associated Press, War Crimes Suspect Karadzic's Brother Charged, December 6, 2005.
[6] BBC News World Edition, Press Wary of Karadzic Plea, July 29, 2005, available here.
[7] Id.
[8] The 1995 Karadzic indictment was amended in May 31, 2000 and is available from the ICTY website here.
[9] BBC News UK Edition, Profile: Radovan Karadzic, June 6, 2005, available here.