Radovan Karadić faces final verdict in Bosnia war crimes case

[brooklynite]

Source: The Guardian

The former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić is due to hear the final judgment on his role in the mass killings and forced deportations of civilians in the conflict which tore Bosnia apart a quarter century ago.

In one of the last remaining cases resulting from the break-up of Yugoslavia, UN judges in the Hague will rule on Karadžić’s appeal against his 2016 conviction for genocide and war crimes, and his 40-year sentence. The prosecution has also appealed against the 2016 verdict, calling for the sentence to increased to life in prison.

Karadžić, 73, led a breakaway Serb territory when Bosnia declared independence from a crumbling Yugoslavia in 1992, in the wake of the Soviet Union’s collapse.

The subsequent conflict was marked by atrocities against civilians, most carried out by Bosnian Serb troops, who conducted a campaign of “ethnic cleansing” to rid the self-proclaimed Republika Srpska of Muslims and ethnic Croats.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/law/2019/mar/20/radovan-karadzic-faces-final-verdict-in-bosnia-war-crimes-case

[Eugene]

1. New headline at link: Radovan Karadzić war crimes sentence increased to life in prison

Radovan Karadžić war crimes sentence increased to life in prison

Former Bosnian Serb leader given longer sentence over his role in bloody conflict that tore his country apart

Julian Borger and agencies
Wed 20 Mar 2019 14.13 GMT

Radovan Karadžić has been sentenced to life in prison at an appeal court in The Hague for his role in mass killings of civilians in the conflict that tore Bosnia apart a quarter century ago.

Five judges at the UN-mandated court upheld the 2016 verdict at the former Bosnian Serb leader’s first trial almost in its entirety, dismissing all but one of Karadžić’s appeals as “mere disagreement” with the court’s conclusions rather than valid legal objections.

And the judges increased his original 40-year jail term to life in prison.

One element from his 2016 conviction involving illegal detentions of civilians was overturned because he was not allowed to cross-examine witnesses, but the appeal court confirmed Karadžić’s guilt for his role in the worst massacres of civilians Europe had seen since the 1940s.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/law/2019/mar/20/radovan-karadzic-faces-final-verdict-in-bosnia-war-crimes-case

[jmbar2]

2. If you missed it, Frontline had an excellent program on the trial of Ratko Mladic for same crimes

It was a horrifying look at how a charismatic leader led his followers to commit warcrimes against their Muslim neighbors in the 1990s.

It contains an important lesson for us. It wasn't that long ago that ethnic and religious nationalism resulted in genocide in a modern European nation. Should be required viewing for those who espouse similarly divisive views.

[TomVilmer]

3. And he worked with children before and after...

Karadić had a bit of his education as a psychiatrist in Denmark and in New York. This did not help on his own mental illness though.

[mahina]

4. Jesus, finally.