Last Yugoslav war crimes suspect at large is captured

[Lord Zentei]

(CNN) -- Goran Hadzic, the last Yugoslav war crimes suspect still at large, was captured in Serbia Wednesday, a war crimes tribunal announced.

An ex-Croatian Serb rebel leader who has been a fugitive for seven years, Hadzic was wanted for crimes against humanity and war crimes in connection with the wars that followed the break-up of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.

The former president of a self-proclaimed Serbian republic in Croatia, Hadzic is accused of trying to remove Croats and other non-Serbs from the territory and the "extermination or murder of hundreds of Croat or other non-Serb civilians," among many other crimes, according to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

He was the last fugitive of the 161 people indicted by the tribunal.

The announcement, also made by Serbian President Boris Tadic, comes less than two months after the capture of the highest-profile war crimes suspect still at large, former Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic.

Plans were being made for Hadzic's transfer into the Tribunal's custody after the completion of legal proceedings in Serbia. Authorities hope he'll soon be in custody at The Hague in the Netherlands, where the court is based.

"I welcome the arrest today of Goran Hadzic, the war-time Croatian Serb political leader of the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina," Tribunal Prosecutor Serge Brammertz said.

"Hadzic's transfer into the Tribunal's custody is a long awaited development for the victims of the crimes charged against him. It is also an important milestone in the Tribunal's history. Eighteen years after the Tribunal's creation, we can now say that no indicted person has successfully evaded the Tribunal's judicial process. This is a precedent of enduring significance, not only for this Tribunal, but also for international criminal justice more generally."

The European Union and NATO welcomed the capture of Hadzic, with the EU saying it would help clear the way to Serbian membership in the club of nations.

"This arrest sends a positive signal to the European Union and to Serbia's neighbors, but most of all on the rule of law in Serbia itself," EU leaders said in a joint statement, saying Serbia was "confronting the past and turning the page to a better European future."

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Twitter that the arrest was "an historic moment for international justice & the victims of war crimes during the Balkan wars of the 1990s."

Ratko Mladic was seized May 26 after more than 15 years in hiding and extradited to the Netherlands to face trial at the criminal tribunal five days later.

He has proved an obstructive defendant, arguing with judges about who should represent him, and in a recent appearance, a judge ordered him removed from the chamber.

His superiors during the wars that saw thousands massacred were Radovan Karadzic, who was captured earlier and is now on trial, and Slobodan Milosevic, who died in jail while on trial at The Hague.

Brammertz said the apprehension of both Hadzic and Mladic "mark a long-awaited step forward in Serbia's cooperation with the Tribunal. Serbia has now produced visible evidence that cooperation with the Tribunal is not an empty promise but a genuine commitment and we look forward to Serbia's assistance with our ongoing work."

The prosecutor touched on the "prosecution of war crimes" in Balkan nations, saying they pose "a critical challenge for the region and its people."

"The Office of the Prosecutor will continue to use its best efforts to assist the fight against impunity in the former Yugoslavia, by providing national prosecutors with information, evidence and expertise. The international community also has a key role to play in ensuring that national prosecutions can successfully take over the Tribunal's work in establishing accountability for the atrocities committed."

Hadzic is the former president of the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina and was indicted in 2004 for crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed in the eastern Slavonia region of Croatia in the early 1990s.

The indictment against Hadzic said he was "a co-perpetrator in a joint criminal enterprise" -- the permanent and forcible removal of a "majority of the Croat and other non-Serb population from approximately one-third of the territory of the Republic of Croatia" to make the land part of a "new Serb-dominated state."

Under the indictment, Hadzic is charged on the basis of individual criminal responsibility for having participated in the following actions:

"Exterminating or murdering hundreds of Croat and other non-Serb civilians, including women and elderly persons, in Dalj, Dalj Planina, Erdut, Erdut Planina, Klisa, Lovas, Grabovac and Vukovar.

"Imprisoning and confining hundreds of Croat and other non-Serb civilians in detention facilities within and outside of Croatia, and establishing and perpetuating inhumane living conditions, including repeatedly torturing, beating and killing detainees in these detention facilities.

"Forcing Croat and other non-Serb civilians to perform labour when detained or under house arrest in Vukovar, Dalj, Lovas, Erdut and Tovarnik."

He is also accused of other crimes against the Croat and other non-Serb civilian population.

They are "imposing restrictive and discriminatory measures," beatings, robberies and arbitrary arrests, deportations and forcible transfer of thousands, and the deliberate destruction of "homes, other public and private property, cultural institutions, historic monuments and sacred sites.

It's been a long time coming, but finally the last war crimes suspect has been arrested. Hopefully, this will help the Balkans to put that period behind them. Unfortunately, there remain a lot of unanswered questions about the situation there, to say the least.

[Sea Skimmer]

It's been a long time coming, but finally the last war crimes suspect has been arrested. Hopefully, this will help the Balkans to put that period behind them. Unfortunately, there remain a lot of unanswered questions about the situation there, to say the least.

Well, the last one western europe wants to put on trial at its custom after the fact court is captured. Hundreds if not thousands of people who actually carried out the crimes are going scot free in contrast to the same countries desire to still put random Nazi guards on trial. But whatever, I doubt the Balkans have seen the last war anyway.

[K. A. Pital]

Unfortunately, yes. Balkanization left the post-Yugoslav nations in a rather crappy condition, and their only choice is being scooped up by the EU. But the EU doesn't want to scoop up new members, it has enough problems with existing ones. Unless, of course, the hunger and desire for crushing into foreign markets and acquiring whatever there is of worth in the impoverished republics will overpower the desire to sit still and slowly devour what's already been eaten. I don't see that happening any time soon, even if Serbia puts her candidate file on the EU inclusion list next year.

[ComradeClaus]

It's been a long time coming, but finally the last war crimes suspect has been arrested. Hopefully, this will help the Balkans to put that period behind them. Unfortunately, there remain a lot of unanswered questions about the situation there, to say the least.

Well, the last one western europe wants to put on trial at its custom after the fact court is captured. Hundreds if not thousands of people who actually carried out the crimes are going scot free in contrast to the same countries desire to still put random Nazi guards on trial. But whatever, I doubt the Balkans have seen the last war anyway.

One thing that nauseated me after the war was that the Serbs were allowed to sign a peace treaty, rather than be crushed, forced to sign an unconditional surrender & be deported to serbia, like what the Allies did to germany after ww2. (the silesia, pomerania & sudentenland expulsions, which many regard as just, plus the border changes)

no the Serbs got to keep much of what they stole, like Srebinicia, which, last I heard had almost no muslims remaining, yet plenty of Serbs, living on the houses of their victims. Then they were treated mercifully after the Kosovo atrocities too. Plus they killed Archduke Ferdinand, which fucked up the whole century. They should be barred from joining the EU (& Greece should be kicked out, due to MASSIVE corruption & having supported Serbia during the wars) let them join whatever group the Russians come up with next, they love each other anyway.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

One thing that nauseated me after the war was that the Serbs were allowed to sign a peace treaty, rather than be crushed, forced to sign an unconditional surrender & be deported to serbia, like what the Allies did to germany after ww2. (the silesia, pomerania & sudentenland expulsions, which many regard as just, plus the border changes)

no the Serbs got to keep much of what they stole, like Srebinicia, which, last I heard had almost no muslims remaining, yet plenty of Serbs, living on the houses of their victims. Then they were treated mercifully after the Kosovo atrocities too. Plus they killed Archduke Ferdinand, which fucked up the whole century. They should be barred from joining the EU (& Greece should be kicked out, due to MASSIVE corruption & having supported Serbia during the wars) let them join whatever group the Russians come up with next, they love each other anyway.

You do realise that in those wars, no one was particularly not guilty of oh no so few atrocities?

[K. A. Pital]

One thing that nauseated me after the war was that the Serbs were allowed to sign a peace treaty, rather than be crushed, forced to sign an unconditional surrender & be deported to serbia, like what the Allies did to germany after ww2. (the silesia, pomerania & sudentenland expulsions, which many regard as just, plus the border changes)

Another thing that nauseated me is the widespread support for Croat and Albanian ethnic cleansing. Which is what you're espousing here, right? It is one thing to stick up and protect the Bosnians. It is a whole different thing to just wish one party to the ethnic wars to be cleansed arbitrarily because you have designated them as bad guys.

Then they were treated mercifully after the Kosovo atrocities too.

Because in Kosovo, a great deal of the atrocities fall at the hands of the KLA. Who massacred Serb civilians and continued to do this, and ethnically cleansed the Serbian portions of Kosovo. No wonder people are a bit wary of punishing Serbs since unlike Bosnia, Kosovo was a much more mired issue.

Plus they killed Archduke Ferdinand, which fucked up the whole century.

You are seriously an idiot if you think World War I was merely a product of a single assassination as opposed to decades of imperialist rivalry.

They should be barred from joining the EU (& Greece should be kicked out, due to MASSIVE corruption & having supported Serbia during the wars) let them join whatever group the Russians come up with next, they love each other anyway

Yes, that's a good little racist and imperialist lapdog there, I see your point. Kick out Greece after you basically allowed them in and your private institutions have profiteered on the Greek government corruption you're now lambasting. Why be so radical? Be consistent. First let Serbia in, like you did with Greece. Allow your banks and TNCs to penetrate their market, spoonfeed the Serbs with tales of credit-fuelled consumption and growth and kittens, make whatever benefit you can and then kick their asses out, like you propose to do with Greece. After all, a chewtoy is only to be thrown out after you have chewed it, right? Seriously, this board lacked such outbursts of idiocy in N&P for quite a while. Thanks for cheering me up.

[Lord Zentei]

Damn, I know this has been addressed, but I can't help myself:

One thing that nauseated me after the war was that the Serbs were allowed to sign a peace treaty, rather than be crushed, forced to sign an unconditional surrender & be deported to serbia, like what the Allies did to germany after ww2. (the silesia, pomerania & sudentenland expulsions, which many regard as just, plus the border changes)

Ah, yes. Of course, the punishment for a dictatorship should be levied against the civilians, how silly not to realize that in this day and age. Never mind that Silesia and Pomerania had been inhabited by Germans for about a thousand years at the time, so comparing that to Serbs being deported "back to Serbia" doesn't even make any sense. Oh, but the Serbs who were living in Bosnia and Croatia (including those driven from Krajina) had been there for a thousand years too - go figure.

no the Serbs got to keep much of what they stole, like Srebinicia, which, last I heard had almost no muslims remaining, yet plenty of Serbs, living on the houses of their victims. Then they were treated mercifully after the Kosovo atrocities too.

While the Serbs were certainly guilty of many things in the conflict, they were hardly alone in that.

Plus they killed Archduke Ferdinand, which fucked up the whole century. They should be barred from joining the EU (& Greece should be kicked out, due to MASSIVE corruption & having supported Serbia during the wars) let them join whatever group the Russians come up with next, they love each other anyway.

Ah, yes of course, because the death of Archduke Ferdinand was the reason for WW1, rather than just the trigger event in a highly tense situation. He was like the Borg Queen or the Emperor of Man or something, the One Who Brought Order Out Of Chaos, and without whom everyone went apeshit. Incidentally, it's good to know that all the fucked up shit that happened throughout WW2 and the Cold War can be attributed to the death Archduke Ferdinand. Damn those Serbs, they're to blame for the Holocaust, the Korean War and the Cuban Missile Crisis!