Belgrade - Radovan Karadzic, the Bosnian Serb leader responsible for the slaughter of more than 7 000 Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica, was found guilty of genocide on Thursday, closing the bloodiest chapter of Europe's history since the Second World War.
The 70-year-old was impassive as his 40-year sentence was handed down at The Hague, 21 years after the massacres during the break-up of Yugoslavia.
Throughout his eight-year trial, Karadzic had maintained the atrocities were the actions of rogue individuals. Few could countenance that. Presiding judge O-Gon Kwon said: “With full knowledge of the ongoing killing, Karadzic declared a state of war in Srebrenica.”
Read: UN court lays blame for Sarajevo siege on Karadzic
“I am so disappointed,” said Bida Smajlovic, 64, whose husband was killed in the massacres. She wanted a harsher sentence, as she watched a live broadcast of the proceedings in Potocari, a Srebrenica suburb. “We have been in shock ever since the first gunshot and this is yet another one,” she said.
But in Belgrade last night, thousands of ultra-nationalists praised Karadzic, attending a rally to hear Vojislav Seselj - himself indicted for war crimes - condemn the court. Many see Serbia at a crossroads, caught between its ally Russia, and the promise of EU membership.
The Independent
* Use IOL’s Facebook and Twitter pages to comment on our stories. See links below.