In a long overdue action, the Serbian government has finally arrested accused war criminal Ratko Mladic, the highest-ranking war crimes suspect still at large from the Balkan wars of the 1990s. Mladic, 69, is accused of genocide, extermination and murder, including the deaths of over 8000 men and boys after the fall of Srebrenica in July 1995.
He is the former Chief of Staff of the Army of the Republika Srpska (the Bosnian Serb Army) and allegedly committed the atrocities during the Bosnian War 1992–1995.
The world is a far better place this morning with Mladic behind bars. It will be an even better place when he is held accountable for these atrocities.
Serbian President Boris Tadic made the announcement which will help remove a stain of complicity of Serbia in the hiding of Mladic or at least the failure to aggressively pursue the accused war criminal after the war. Tadic simply said “All war criminals must face justice.” Amen, brother, amen.
Source: CNN
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/world/europe/mladic-bosnian-serb-leader-faces-war-crimes-charges.html?hp
Bosnian Serb Leader Faces War Crimes Charges
By MARLISE SIMONS and ALAN COWELL
Published: May 16, 2012
THE HAGUE — Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb military commander, went on trial here on Wednesday facing a catalog of charges of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity stemming from some of the bloodiest events of the Bosnian war in the 1990s, including the Srebrenica massacre and the siege of Sarajevo.
…and the article continues
“Ratko Mladic Arrested: Inside The Raid That Nabbed The Suspected War Criminal”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/27/ratko-mladic-raid-arrested_n_868240.html?ncid=wsc-huffpost-cards-headline
Blouise,
My patience is wearing thin… but, I agree, the truth will eventually out…
anon nurse,
It is all bound to come out … too many people know about it and the quiet outrage of the few has begun percolating rather than simmering … patience, for the time will ripen. The push back will be immense as so many have taken part in criminal actions but they’ll fail as the outrage will overwhelm them.
Former Federal LEO,
The same is true on my end, as is quite evident by the number of times that I post his links and comments… He certainly helps me cope in this all-too-crazy world.
Anon Nurse,
Glenn Greenwald is simply the best at expressing my views in just about everything he writes.
While all of us may be happy that this monster will receive justice, I must agree with those who point out that there are some American monsters that also deserve such prosecution. Attacking Iraq for specious reasons,
killing hundreds of thousands, killing our own troops
needlessly constitute war crimes to me and those responsible are allowed to lead comfortable and affluent public lives. Hypocrisy, thy name is the false belief in American “Exceptionalism.”
Friday, May 27, 2011 09:28 ET
Questions about Ratko Mladic
By Glenn Greenwald
Friday, May 27, 2011 09:28 ET
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/05/27/mladic/index.html
“Why is it legitimate to demand that Serbians Look Backward and risk extreme domestic divisiveness in order to punish their accused war criminals, while the U.S. refuses to do so? Conversely, why is it legitimate to shield accused American war criminals of all accountability on the ground that investigating and prosecuting them would distract from The Future and trigger political conflict, but not allow Serbians the same luxury? I have no doubt that there are hordes of Americans happy about Mladic’s arrest while simultaneously supportive of Obama’s Look Forward decree for American war criminals, all without bothering to resolve — or even recognize — the glaring, self-serving inconsistency at the heart of that mentality.”
Patriot Act, SEC. 215. ACCESS TO RECORDS AND OTHER ITEMS UNDER THE FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE ACT.
Title V of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (50 U.S.C. 1861 et seq.) is amended by striking sections 501 through 503 and inserting the following:
`SEC. 501. ACCESS TO CERTAIN BUSINESS RECORDS FOR FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE AND INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM INVESTIGATIONS.
`(a)(1) The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation or a designee of the Director (whose rank shall be no lower than Assistant Special Agent in Charge) may make an application for an order requiring the production of any tangible things (including books, records, papers, documents, and other items) for an investigation to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities, provided that such investigation of a United States person is not conducted solely upon the basis of activities protected by the first amendment to the Constitution.
`(2) An investigation conducted under this section shall–
`(A) be conducted under guidelines approved by the Attorney General under Executive Order 12333 (or a successor order); and
`(B) not be conducted of a United States person solely upon the basis of activities protected by the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
`(b) Each application under this section–
`(1) shall be made to–
`(A) a judge of the court established by section 103(a); or
`(B) a United States Magistrate Judge under chapter 43 of title 28, United States Code, who is publicly designated by the Chief Justice of the United States to have the power to hear applications and grant orders for the production of tangible things under this section on behalf of a judge of that court; and
`(2) shall specify that the records concerned are sought for an authorized investigation conducted in accordance with subsection (a)(2) to obtain foreign intelligence information not concerning a United States person or to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities.
`(c)(1) Upon an application made pursuant to this section, the judge shall enter an ex parte order as requested, or as modified, approving the release of records if the judge finds that the application meets the requirements of this section.
`(2) An order under this subsection shall not disclose that it is issued for purposes of an investigation described in subsection (a).
`(d) No person shall disclose to any other person (other than those persons necessary to produce the tangible things under this section) that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has sought or obtained tangible things under this section.
`(e) A person who, in good faith, produces tangible things under an order pursuant to this section shall not be liable to any other person for such production. Such production shall not be deemed to constitute a waiver of any privilege in any other proceeding or context.
`SEC. 502. CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT.
`(a) On a semiannual basis, the Attorney General shall fully inform the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate concerning all requests for the production of tangible things under section 402.
`(b) On a semiannual basis, the Attorney General shall provide to the Committees on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report setting forth with respect to the preceding 6-month period–
`(1) the total number of applications made for orders approving requests for the production of tangible things under section 402; and
`(2) the total number of such orders either granted, modified, or denied.’.
_______
Who want to take book on part if the DOJ is totally ignoring the “(2) An investigation conducted under this section shall (B) not be conducted of a United States person solely upon the basis of activities protected by the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States” part of that?