ICTY: Karadžić Arrested

Radovan Karadžić, former President of Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was arrested today in Serbia. Karadžić had been a fugitive since 1995, when he was first indicted for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity (current indictment here; case information sheet here). Needless to say, this is an extraordinarily important development. Here's ICTY prosecutor Serge Brammertz's statement on the arrest:

Prosecutor Serge Brammertz welcomes the arrest today of Radovan Karadžić, the war-time President of Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was a fugitive from justice for almost 13 years – the first indictment against him was confirmed on 24 July 1995.

In relation to the arrest, Prosecutor Brammertz stated the following:

“I was informed by our colleagues in Belgrade about the successful operation which resulted in the arrest of Radovan Karadžić. On behalf of the Office of the Prosecutor, I would like to congratulate the Serbian authorities, especially the National Security Council, Serbia’s Action Team in charge of tracking fugitives and the Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor, on achieving this milestone in cooperation with the ICTY.

This is a very important day for the victims who have waited for this arrest for over a decade. It is also an important day for international justice because it clearly demonstrates that nobody is beyond the reach of the law and that sooner or later all fugitives will be brought to justice.”

The date of Radovan Karadžić’s transfer into the Tribunal’s custody will be determined in due course.