ABOUT BOSNIA

Man who is generally seen as:

World's Most Wanted Man
Radovan Karadzic

Architect of ethnic cleansing and atrocities which we only know from the books and films about World War II.

Will he be brought to justice?

19 June 1945
Born in Montenegro, in the village of Petnjica, district of Savnik, to Vuk and Jovanka Karadzic. His father was in prison during his eay years, serving time for activities during World War II. His father had been a member of the Chetniks, or Serb nationalist guerrillas who fought against both Nazi occupiers and Tito's communist partisans. 1960 Karadzic moves from mountain to big ethnically-mixed city of Sarajevo to study medicine and write a poetry.

  1967
Meets Dobrica Cosic, Serbian writer and politician, who influences him to become politically active.

  End of 1970s
Suspected by friends of being an informer for the Communist government during its crackdown on loyalty.

  July 1971 - March 1977
Works at the Adult Education Center. During the 70s he earns extra income by selling fraudulent medical diagnoses to those who want to avoid military service or retire early.

  April 1977 - August 1983
Works at the psychiatric clinic in Kosevo hospital, in Sarajevo.

  1980s
Becomes team psychiatrist for a soccer team in Sarajevo.

February 1980 - August 1983
Serves his medical residency. While serving his medical residency, he spends a year in Zagreb, Croatia, where he's trained in psychotherapy at the Zagreb Center for Mental Health. He also spends a year in the United States? (but nobody knows where and when!?). According to some interviews he was there with his wife, Ljiljana, and his daughter Sonja, and he took courses in psychotherapy and American poetry?

  1 September 1983 - 1 November 1984
Works at the Health Center "Vozdovac" in Belgrade, Serbia.

  Mid 1981
Begins a construction of Karadzic's house in Pale. The house is connected to the embezzlement and fraud allegations.

  (Soccer) Season 1983/1984
Becomes team psychiatrist for the "Red Star" soccer team in Belgrade.

  1 November 1984 - 29 March 1985 - 9 April 1985 - 2 October 1985
Begins a trial at the Criminal Court in Sarajevo on suspicion of fraud. Karadzic was involved in embezzlement of public property and fraud in collaboration with Momcilo Krajisnik his friend, who at the time held a high position in a construction-business company. Later, Momcilo Krajisnik was one of the closest Karadzic collaborators during the war in Bosnia. He was parliamentary speaker in Republika Srpska during the war. Currently, he is the president of the post-Dayton collective presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina?

  26 September 1985
Momcilo Krajisnik, is sentenced to 4 years in prison. Karadzic is sentenced for three years in prison and fined for embezzlement and fraud. Never served his sentence?

  October 1985 - February 1987
Works at the Health Center "Vozdovac" in Belgrade.

  16 February - 22 March 1992
Works at the Kosevo Hospital in Sarajevo, at the psychiatric clinic "Nedjo Zec".

  1990s
Gets involved in politics, working for a short time for the Green Party, then turns his attention to the initiative for the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS). Party formed in response to the rise of national and Croat parties in Bosnia. New party is given directions from president Milosevic and takes up his mission to pursue a Greater Serbia.

  July 1990
Chosen president of the SDS and gets visibly richer.

  14 October 1991
Issues a threat to Bosnian Muslims in his speech in the Parliament of Bosnia.

  March 1992
Moves his family to party headquarters at Hotel Holiday Inn in Sarajevo.

  4 April 1992
Bosnian president Izetbegovic declares mobilization in response to attacks and purging of civilians perpetrated by Serbian paramilitary groups in Eastern Bosnia, namely in Zvornik and Bijeljina. Karadzic opposes this mobilization call.

  5 April 1992
Serb paramilitaries besiege and attack the Sarajevo police academy, commanding strategic positions in Vraca, high above the city.

  4-5 April 1992
Thousands of Sarajevans of all nationalities take to streets to protest ethnic division and conflict.Serb snipers shoot at people from their positions in Vraca hill. Twenty-one-year-old medical student from Dubrovnik becomes the first casualty of Bosnian war.

  6 April 1992
Responding to European Community recognition of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Karadzic proclaims the independent Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, later to be renamed Republika Srpska. Karadzic announces that the Serbian Republic would come into existence that night at midnight, with Sarajevo as its capital and himself as Head of State.

  11 July 1995
Srebrenica falls to Bosnian Serb Army,which is under direction of Karadzic and commander Ratko Mladic.

  25 July 1995
Karadzic and his war commander, Ratko Mladic are indicted for genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war. This indictment is related to crimes committed in the "safe area" of Srebrenica.

  21 November 1995
Dayton Peace Accord signed by Serbian President Milosevic, Bosnian President Izetbegovic and Croation President Tudjman. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke and Secretary of State Warren Christopher were the negotiators.

  July 1996
Milosevic and Bosnian Serb leaders force Karadzic to resign as president of the SDS and from public life under threat of sanctions from the West.

(text changed without permission of author)
2000, Community of Friends of Stolac