Karadzic and Empty Gestures
Presenting his closing statement, Prosecutor Alan Tieger says that a thesis by Radovan Karadzics Defence that Karadzic insisted on respecting all rights and measures for preventing crimes during the war was an empty gesture.
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Presenting his closing statement, Prosecutor Alan Tieger says that a thesis by Radovan Karadzic’s Defence that Karadzic insisted on respecting all rights and measures for preventing crimes during the war was “an empty gesture”.
“The documents, which Karadzic’s Defence mentions as orders to prevent crimes, are just papers aimed at covering up the role in those crimes. Nothing was done to implement them,” Tieger said, pointing to a media announcement in which Karadzic requested that prisoners be treated in accordance with the rules.
Tieger pointed out that this was an announcement, not an order to treat prisoners in accordance with standards. The announcement was written in English too. As Tieger said, this was done in order to improve Karadzic’s public image.
On the first day of presenting its closing statement at the trial of Karadzic, former President of Republika Srpska, who is charged with genocide and other crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, BiH, the Hague Prosecution spoke about the indictee’s responsibility, his supremacy to the Republika Srpska Army, as well as failure to prevent the mass executions and forced resettlement of Bosnian Muslims and Croats.
Responding to a question on why Karadzic failed to react to warnings by international officials related to commission of crimes, Tieger said that the crimes were aimed at permanently removing Muslims and Croats.
“All levels of authority were informed about the fact that crimes were committed, but nobody did anything to prevent them,” Tieger said, pointing out that there was big pressure on military judicial institutions not to try crimes against the non-Serb population.
Tieger said that Karadzic decorated those who committed crimes, for instance Vojkan from Bijeljina, Arkan and others. Some of them have been sentenced under second instance verdicts pronounced by The Hague Tribunal.
“Instead of punishing them, Karadzic decorated them. He affirmatively reacted to ethnically-cleaned areas in Republika Srpska,” Tieger said.
When it comes to his relations with the VRS, Tieger read the following quotation: “Commanding and managing the Army is not two-headed. The war is too serious to be led by generals. Politics should become involved”.
“Karadzic remained loyal to the chain of command,” Tieger said, adding that, in his capacity as President of Republika Srpska, Karadzic was the Army’s Supreme Commander.
The Prosecution is due to continue presenting its closing statement tomorrow, September 30.
