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Print VersionUltra-nationalists protest Karadzic's arrest in Belgrade
23/07/2008
BELGRADE, Serbia -- Hundreds of ultra-nationalist supporters of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic gathered in the streets of Belgrade late Tuesday (July 22nd) to protest the arrest of their hero. The protesters were mainly young soccer fans and activists from the Obraz ultra-nationalist group. Demonstrators pelted the special policemen dispatched to the scene with torches and chairs from a nearby cafe. Police made a number of arrests; six people suffered injuries in the clashes. Demonstrators dispersed only after Aleksandar Vucic of the Serbian Radical Party thanked the crowd for its "love of Serbia".
Meanwhile, leaders from all over the Balkans continued to hail the arrest, saying it signals that Serbia's new government is ready to co-operate with The Hague tribunal, a major precondition for EU accession.
Karadzic, charged with the genocide of 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica in July 1995 and the death of around 12,000 people as a result of the three-year blockade of Sarajevo, was arrested on Monday after 13 years on the run. The Financial Times reported on Wednesday that British and US special services participated in the search operation.
In other news, Karadzic's lawyer, Sveta Vujacic, said Wednesday that the war crime suspect plans to serve as his own defence lawyer. Vujacic said that although Karadzic plans to hire a team of legal advisers, he plans to defend himself at the UN tribunal, just as the late Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic did. Karadzic will also file an appeal against his extradition to The Hague before Friday's deadline, the lawyer said.(Vecernje Novosti, Studio B, Kommersant, Utrinski Vesnik, Financial Times - 23/07/08; Reuters - 22/07/08)
