Editorial: War criminals on the run

For 11 years, Radovan Karadzic was one of the most wanted people in the world.

The leader of the Bosnian Serbs in the 1992-1995 Bosnia war was indicted twice in 1995 for genocide, linked to the deaths of thousands of people in his own nation.

So, for 11 years he hid among the people. But last week he was caught by Bosnian authorities.

Karadzic had his first skirmishes with the U.N. war crimes tribunal Thursday in the Hague.

He was cut short by the judge when he tried to protest his arrest, and put on notice that the prosecution will object to his demand to represent himself.

During the initial session, Karadzic also claimed his seizure and trial violated a deal he made with the United States in 1996 that the case against him would be scrapped if he left politics and did not undermine the peace agreement that ended the Bosnian war.

Karadzic appeared at a plea hearing one day after he was extradited from Serbia to answer genocide and war crimes charges for the murder of thousands of Bosnian Muslims and Croats and for directing a reign of terror during the Bosnian war.

He declined to enter a plea to the 11 charges against him, and told the judge he intended to act as his own attorney for the duration of the case.

But prosecutor Alan Tieger asked the judge to caution Karadzic about the risks of conducting his own defense — an indication that the prosecution wanted to avoid a repeat of the much-criticized trial of former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic who died in jail in 2006 before his four-year trial ended.

“With all due respect to you personally, I will defend myself before this institution as I would defend myself before any natural catastrophe,” Karadzic told Judge Alphons Orie.

It was the first time Karadzic was seen in public since he dropped from sight more than a decade ago.

He appeared thinner, grayer, but still defiant, self-confident and able to joke.

The full beard, long hair and loose white clothes that he wore when posing as a new age psychologist in Belgrade were replaced by a clean shave, fresh haircut and a business suit with a black briefcase.

“I’ve been in worse places,” he replied with a smile when Orie asked him about conditions at the U.N. jail.

Manhunts continue for people connected with the war crimes in Bosnia. And Karadzic’s case shows they can be caught to face the legal charges against them.

The message: You can run, but you can’t hide.

This is a message that can resonate in other cases around the world. For instance, Sudan’s president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, too could soon face war crimes and cries against humanity.

But the fact is, most people charged with war crimes do run and hide.

Justice does not usually go away with time, though. And in war crimes cases, justice seems to have as much time as is needed.

Karadzic could soon come closer to finding that out.

Portions of this editorial appeared in Tuesday’s Sierra Vista Herald, a sister newspaper of the Green Valley News with Wick Communications Co. Updated information from The Associated Press has been added. The editorial reflects the opinion of this newspaper.