Ex-RS president: There was no genocide in Bosnia

Former Republic of Srpska (RS) President Radovan Karadzic has said that there was no genocide against Muslims in Bosnia. He explained during a cross examination that there had been no genocide since 2.6 percent of the Muslim population had died during the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Ex-RS president: There was no genocide in Bosnia The former RS president, who is accused of genocide in Srebrenica and in another seven municipalities, quoted findings of prosecution’s demography expert Ewa Tabeau who analyzed the changes in ethnic composition caused by the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Tabeau confirmed that the results were true. According to the results of her research, 49,111 Bosniaks were killed or went missing, which makes 2.6 percent of 1,902,956 of the Bosniak population that lived in Bosnia before the war. Tabeau confirmed that soldiers were included in the number and that the persons who had died of natural causes had been excluded. Karadzic tried to compare the number of killed Bosniaks with the number of murdered Jews during WWII but the judge assessed that the question was not appropriate for a demographer. The former RS president pointed out that “around 70 percent of Tutsi were killed in Rwanda and around 50 percent of Jews during WWII in Europe”. Judge O-Gon Kwon said that the question was not relevant but the defendant’s legal counsel Peter Robinson stressed that it was relevant because Karadzic was accused of genocide which includes the intent to completely or partially destroy an entire ethnic group and Tabeau’s results showed that 2.6 percent of the Bosniak population was killed. The former RS president then quoted Tabeau’s results about the number of killed Muslims in each of seven municipalities where genocide was committed. The number of killed Bosniaks in those municipalities is between 2.2 to 15 percent. Karadzic disputed the witness’ finding that a large number of civilian victims in Sarajevo showed that the civilian population had been targeted on purpose, claiming that she did not take circumstances under which the civilians were killed, such as Muslim forces’ offensives, into account. Tabeau stood by her testimony but confirmed, however, that the number of Serbs in Sarajevo had dropped from 30 percent, according to the 1991 census, to only five percent, according to the 1997 census. Karadzic is charged with genocide, terror against civilians in Sarajevo, persecution of Bosniaks and Croats across Bosnia-Herzegovina and taking UN personnel hostage from 1992 until 1995. Radovan Karadzic (The Hague Tribunal) Beta

Ex-RS president: There was no genocide in Bosnia

The former RS president, who is accused of genocide in Srebrenica and in another seven municipalities, quoted findings of prosecution’s demography expert Ewa Tabeau who analyzed the changes in ethnic composition caused by the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Tabeau confirmed that the results were true. According to the results of her research, 49,111 Bosniaks were killed or went missing, which makes 2.6 percent of 1,902,956 of the Bosniak population that lived in Bosnia before the war.

Tabeau confirmed that soldiers were included in the number and that the persons who had died of natural causes had been excluded.

Karadžić tried to compare the number of killed Bosniaks with the number of murdered Jews during WWII but the judge assessed that the question was not appropriate for a demographer.

The former RS president pointed out that “around 70 percent of Tutsi were killed in Rwanda and around 50 percent of Jews during WWII in Europe”.

Judge O-Gon Kwon said that the question was not relevant but the defendant’s legal counsel Peter Robinson stressed that it was relevant because Karadžić was accused of genocide which includes the intent to completely or partially destroy an entire ethnic group and Tabeau’s results showed that 2.6 percent of the Bosniak population was killed.

The former RS president then quoted Tabeau’s results about the number of killed Muslims in each of seven municipalities where genocide was committed.

The number of killed Bosniaks in those municipalities is between 2.2 to 15 percent.

Karadžić disputed the witness’ finding that a large number of civilian victims in Sarajevo showed that the civilian population had been targeted on purpose, claiming that she did not take circumstances under which the civilians were killed, such as Muslim forces’ offensives, into account.

Tabeau stood by her testimony but confirmed, however, that the number of Serbs in Sarajevo had dropped from 30 percent, according to the 1991 census, to only five percent, according to the 1997 census.

Karadžić is charged with genocide, terror against civilians in Sarajevo, persecution of Bosniaks and Croats across Bosnia-Herzegovina and taking UN personnel hostage from 1992 until 1995.