“Complete the physical separation of Srebrenica from Zepa as soon as possible, preventing even communication between individuals in the two enclaves. By planned and well-thought out combat operations, create an unbearable situation of total insecurity with no hope of further survival or life for the inhabitants of Srebrenica.”

Excerpt from a March 1995 directive given to the Bosnian Serb army (VRS) by Radovan Karadzic, a founding member and president of the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) and the political leader of the self-proclaimed Bosnian Serb Republic at this time. Karadzic was first indicted in July 1995, following the Srebrenica massacre. On November 14, 1995, the ICTY issued a joint indictment for Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, Commander of the Main Staff of the VRS. The current (amended) May 31, 2000 indictment charges Karadzic with genocide, crimes against humanity, violations of the laws or customs of war and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions. Karadzic sucessfully eluded justice for over 13 years, despite repeated demands for his arrest by Carla Del Ponte, former chief prosecutor of the ICTY who completed her term in December 2007, associations of survivors and all non-governmental organizations involved in the international campaign for justice for the victims and survivors of Srebrenica. Karadzic was finally arrested in July 2008 in the vicinity of Belgrade by Serbian security forces. President Boris Tadic ordered the arrest.

For the ICTY indictment of Radovan Karadzic, see: www.un.org/icty, “ICTY Cases and Judgements,” Karadzic, Radovan. For historical background on Karadzic and the war in Bosnia, see the website for a 1998 PBS/Frontline documentary on Karadzic: www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/karadzic