The trial of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić began without him on October 26, the only one of the ‘big three’ from the Bosnian war of the 1990s that was captured. The main allegations against the former President of Republika Srpska relate to the 44-month “Siege of Sarajevo” - a sniping and shelling campaign designed to spread terror - that left over 10,000 dead, the July 1995 massacre of around 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica, and the taking of UN personnel hostage to prevent NATO and international air strikes against Bosnian Serb military targets. He is also accused of having targeted Bosniak and Croat political leaders, intellectuals and professionals, unlawfully deporting and transferring civilians because of national or religious identity, and of having been responsible for the destruction of homes, businesses and sacred sites.
