AlterPolitics

Radovan Karadzic, the Serbian leader believed to be the mastermind of the Serbian-Bosnian conflict — which resulted in the death of over 100,000 people — has refused to leave his prison cell at The Hague, effectively boycotting his own trial.   Karadizic is charged with two acts of genocide and nine other war crimes, and refuses to enter a plea of guilt or innocence.  Judges in The Hague decided to proceed by releasing transcripts of Karadzic’s phone taps from 1991, in the presence of many Srebrenica survivors, who crowded the court:

“They have to know that there are 20,000 armed Serbs around Sarajevo . . . it will be a black cauldron where 300,000 Muslims will die,” Dr Karadzic was recorded as saying.

“They will disappear. That people will disappear from the face of the Earth.”

“I think it is clear to the army and clear to everyone. It will be a real bloodbath.”

In later recordings he was quoted as saying:

“No Muslim foundations shall ever be laid in Serb areas and Serbian villages.  All foundations that are laid will be blown up. You must not sell land to the Muslims . . . this is a fight to the finish. It is a battle for living space.”

According to The Times, “Rhetoric will not be enough to convict Dr Karadzic of genocide unless he is shown to have a direct link to the numerous atrocities carried out by Bosnian Serb forces, including the murder of about 8,000 men and boys in the UN haven of Srebrenica.  Survivors and relatives will be among the many witnesses to testify during the trial, which is expected to last up to three years.”