RADOVAN KARADZIC AND RATKO MLADIC ACCUSED OF GENOCIDE FOLLOWING THE TAKE-OVER OF SREBRENICA

Today, Thursday 16 November 1995, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia indicts again:

- Radovan KARADZIC, President of the Bosnian Serb Administration in Pale, and

- Ratko MLADIC, Commander of the army of the Bosnian Serb Administration.

Both accused are alleged to be directly responsible for the atrocities committed in July 1995 against the Bosnian Muslim population of the UN designated safe area of Srebrenica (Eastern Bosnia-and-Herzegovina).

As a result of an attack on the "safe area" which was launched on 6 July 1995 and of other actions which were completed by 23 July 1995, the "Muslim population of the enclave of Srebrenica was virtually eliminated by Bosnia Serb Military personnel (...) under the command and control of Radovan KARADZIC and Ratko MLADIC".

After review of the evidence submitted by the Prosecutor, Judge Riad confirmed the indictment stating that:

"After Srebrenica fell to besieging Serbian forces in July, 1995, a truly terrible massacre of the Muslim population appears to have taken place. The evidence tendered by the Prosecutor describes scenes of unimaginable savagery: thousands of men executed and buried in mass graves, hundreds of men buried alive, men and women mutilated and slaughtered, children killed before their mothers’ eyes, a grandfather forced to eat the liver of his own grandson. These are truly scenes from hell, written on the darkest pages of human history".

THE FACTS ALLEGED IN THE INDICTMENT

Bosnian Serb military forces, under the command and control of Radovan KARADZIC and of Ratko MLADIC, attacked the UN designated safe area of Srebrenica in July of 1995. As a result of these attacks, the Bosnian Muslim inhabitants of Srebrenica sought refuge near the UN compound in Potocari or fled in a large column in the direction of Tuzla.

Between 12 and 13 July 1995, many Muslims around the UN compound in Potocari were summarily executed by Bosnian Serb military personnel and the remaining refugees, numbering in the thousands, were placed on busses by Bosnian Serb soldiers and removed from Srebrenica. Before boarding these busses, Bosnian Serb soldiers separated Muslim men from women and children and placed them on different busses for removal from the enclave.

The Bosnian Muslims who fled Srebrenica in a huge column during the night of 11 July 1995 were attacked by Bosnian Serb forces and thousands of them surrendered or were captured in the days following their flight. Hundreds of them were summarily executed by Bosnian Serb soldiers at the locations of their capture or surrender and others were transported to two locations near Karakaj.

On 14 July 1995, at the two locations near Karakaj, thousands of Bosnian Muslim men who had been separated from the refugees in Potocari or who had surrendered or been captured after fleeing Srebrenica, were transported to two large fields and summarily executed.

The killings of Muslims by Bosnian Serb soldiers, under the command and control of Radovan KARADZIC and Ratko MLADIC, in Potocari, at surrender or capture locations, and at mass execution sites near Karakaj resulted in the deaths of thousands of persons. These killings form the basis of the charges genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war against Radovan KARADZIC and Ratko MLADIC that are contained in this indictment.

THE INVESTIGATION

Today's indictment is the result of an investigation by the Office of the Prosecutor which commenced as soon as in July 1995, and which is still ongoing in respect to other suspects.

THE CRIMES AND THE CHARGES

Radovan KARADZIC and Ratko MLADIC are alleged to be individually responsible for the planning, instigation, ordering or otherwise aiding and abetting in the planning, preparation or execution of the crimes referred to in the indictment.

They are also alleged to be criminally responsible for the acts of their subordinates.

They are charged with: Genocide, Crimes against humanity and Violations of the laws or customs of war, for:

- the summary executions of Bosnian Muslim men and women in and around the UN-Military compound of Potocari (12 and 13 July 1995),

- the summary executions of Bosnian Muslim men who where hors-de-combat because of injuries, surrender or capture after fleeing into the woods towards Tuzla (between 13 July and 22 July 1995),

- the summary executions of Bosnian Muslim men which occurred at mass execution sites in and around Karakaj (on or about 14 July 1995).

THE INDICTMENT AND THE PROCEDURE

The Prosecutor filed this indictment with the Registry on Tuesday 14 November 1995.

The indictment was reviewed by Judge Fouad Riad who confirmed it on Thursday 16 November 1995, considering "prima facie, that the facts of the case disclose, above all, the commission of genocide" Judge Riad signed warrants for the arrest of the accused.

The indictments and the warrants will be forwarded to the relevant authorities in Sarajevo, Pale and Belgrade.