Global Policy Forum

This timeline gives an extensive overview of events in the former Yugoslavia between 1974 and 2008. On July 21, 2008, Serbian security forces arrested Radovan Karadzic, former supreme commander of the armed forces and president of the Republika Srpska between 1992 and 1996. However, Ratko Mladic, chief of the Bosnian-Serb forces between 1991 and 1996, still hides from the Serbian security forces, allegedly with the help of retired Serbian and Bosnian-Serb military. (More or Less)

Radovan Karadzic, the former leader of the Serb Democratic Party, was arrested in Serbia after more than ten years of evading capture. Karadzic was indicted on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity and accused of organizing the 1995 massacre of 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica, Bosnia. The lead prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal of Yugoslavia (ICTY) claims the arrest “demonstrates that nobody is beyond the reach of the law? (Washington Post)

General Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic have been on the ICTY’s wanted list for over twelve years for allegedly committing war crimes at Srebrenica. This UN Observer article accuses Western powers, specifically the US, for not lifting even a finger for their capture? According to former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, “There was a truly massive reluctance throughout the NATO chain of command - the senior commanders on all levels of relevance being American - to address (this) issue? The article speculates that Mladic and Karadzic will likely face a “fake trial"? in 2008, when the ICTY closes its investigation, and escape justice.

Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his ex-army chief Ratko Mladic still remain at large, facing charges for war crimes committed during the 1992-95 Bosnian conflict. A Bosnian daily newspaper, FOKUS, alleges that former US envoy to the Balkans Richard Holbrooke signed a deal with Karadzic in 1996, promising him immunity if he withdrew from politics and refrained from making public statements? Skeptics believe that the international media’s asymmetric focus on Mladic over Karadzic indicates that such a pact may indeed exist, reports Adnkronos International.

An association of war crimes victims charges that the European Union has not taken significant steps to capture former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic since the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia indicted him in July 1995. The group suggests that glaring media focus on former military leader Ratko Mladic has deflected attention from Karadzic. A political analyst attributes the greater importance given to Mladic to the Balkan tradition of honoring soldiers rather than the international community’s disinterest in locating Karadzic. (Deutsche Presse Agentur)

The death of Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has placed scrutiny on the Serbian government's willingness to hand over Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia. Many Serbs, angered by Milosevic’s death in custody, are openly speaking out against surrendering Mladic and Karadzic. If Belgrade fail to hand over Mladic by an European Union imposed deadline of April 4, 2006, Serbia will face sanctions. (Balkan Investigative Reporting Network)

In his first media interview in a decade, a senior member of the Serbian Orthodox Church with close ties to the Karadzic family stated “if I was [former Serb leader Radovan Karadzic], I would go to The Hague. I expect him to do the right thing. To take the responsibility upon himself? The statement brought into question longstanding rumors that the Serbian Orthodox Church may be helping to shield Karadzic from capture and prosecution, and renewed hope that international efforts may result in Karadzic’s capture in fall 2005. (BBC)

In a televised plea, the wife of wanted former Serb leader Radovan Karadzic urged her husband to surrender to the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague. Whether she was motivated by financial calculations, realizations of his being “cornered," or a plan by Mr. Karadzic, the Independent speculates that the wanted Serb’s days of freedom are “numbered?

This Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty article offers speculations on the reasons why powerful international military forces remain unable to catch Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic. Whether the two former Serb leaders remain at large due to unstated NATO policy, Muslim and Croatian politicians’ fear of war secrets revelations or Serb authorities’ unwillingness to take political risks, the author affirms that the fugitives are “a source of embarrassmentâ€? to NATO and former Yugoslavia Tribunal officials.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) argues that it is "simply implausible" that the joint capabilities of NATO and the Serbian government are so poor that former Bosnian President Radovan Karadzic and his military leader Ratko Mladic remain at large despite numerous public sightings. HRW calls on Serbia, the EU, and NATO to fulfill their legal and moral obligations and hand the two war criminals over, stating that "the victims of Srebrenica should not have to wait another decade for justice."

The Boston Globe argues that NATO’s withdrawal from Bosnia will push international and local officials to apprehend former Bosnian Serb President Radovan Karadzic and his top military commander Ratko Mladic. Speculations of their surrender in Bosnian newspapers have been bolstered by Chief UN War Crimes Prosecutor Carla del Ponte’s pledge that Karadzic “will be arrested very soon?

US, Serbian and European officials shift responsibility for catching former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic from NATO to SFOR to the Serbian authorities. Meanwhile, Karadzic’s continuing freedom fuels the bitter hatred between Bosnia’s ethnic groups and jeopardizes the country's chance of joining the European Union. (Washington Post)

The author argues that the capture of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic is key for achieving unity and long-term peace in the region. Yet, the West has not dedicated sufficient resources to detain him, allowing him to maintain his popularity by, for example, sending Christmas greetings to thousands of Serbs on their mobile phones. (San Francisco Chronicle)

NATO’s latest unsuccessful effort to arrest former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has inflamed NATO’s unpopularity in Pale, Bosnia. Around 3, 000 people came to protest against the armed raid, in which two were injured by explosives. (Independent)

The first major attempt by police to find former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, has failed. The West previously accused Bosnian Serb authorities of a lack of cooperation to find Karadzic, who is indicted by the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague. (Reuters)

This BBC report summarizes the life of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic from his childhood until he became first president of the Bosnian Serb administration.

Bosnian sources believe that with the upcoming US elections, Washington could launch a special forces operation to seize Radovan Karadzic, former President of the Bosnian Serb administration. However Carla Del Ponte, Chief prosecutor of the International War Crimes Tribunal in Yugoslavia, adds that “it's more difficult than eight years ago. He has become an expert at hiding." (Guardian)

The Bosnian Serb police claim that NATO forces used two police officers as human shields during NATO’s raid of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic’s house in Pale. In a separate complaint Karadzic’s wife, Ljiljana Zelen-Karadzic, will sue for property damaged by NATO-led forces during the same raid. (BBC)

Graham Blewitt, Deputy prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia blames Bosnia's Serb Republic authorities and NATO's Stabilisation Force for Radovan Karadzic’s continued freedom. Blewitt argues that the “West lacks the political willâ€? to arrest Karadzic. (Reuters)

The Office of the High Representative imposed a new Bosnian criminal code in March 2003 in an effort to curb the support network for war crime suspects like Radovan Karadzic. The code imposes prison sentences for those who harbor individuals indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia and authorizes plea bargains. (Institute for War and Peace Reporting)

The NATO-led Stabilisation Force (SFOR) failed to catch Bosnian Serb war crime suspect, Radovan Karadzic, in a three day search. NATO insists the operation was a success, saying that they obtained valuable information to help in the pursuit. (Reuters)

Miroslav Deronjic, a former Bosnian Serb official, further indicts Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic in his leading role in the Srebrenica massacre. (Institute for War and Peace Reporting)

Western officials plan to restrict the flow of money to Radovan Karadzic’s support network that funds his fugitive lifestyle. The new initiative has met with skepticism, after many failed attempts to bring Karadzic to justice in the past. (Institute for War and Peace Reporting)

Former Bosnian Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic, who has been eluding NATO troops for the past six years, is still far from being brought to justice. Despite a $5 million reward, a country of supporters still refuses to cooperate. (New York Times)

This article briefly sketches the story of Karadzic's early life, then moves on to his role in leading the Serbian military's massacre of thousands of Bosnian Muslims and Croats, and finally to his indictment by the UN International Criminal Court for the former Yugoslavia. (BBC)

This is an account of the critical days leading up to the killing of over 7000 refugees in the Bosnian town of Srebenica, where thousands of civilians had taken refuge from earlier Serb offensives in north-eastern Bosnia. Karadzic at the time was first in command of the Bosnian Serb forces who conducted the mass executions. (BBC)