Radovan Karadzic, the former leader of the Serbian Democratic Party, known as the “Butcher of Bosnia”, is to be transferred to a British prison. He will serve the remainder of his 40-year sentence for his involvement in the genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The British Foreign Office released a statement pertaining to the transfer and highlighted the atrocities of the 1990 genocide in the former Yugoslavia. Karadziclead Bosnian Serb forces in seizing territory across Bosnia-Herzegovina, killing and displacing Muslims and Croats. More than 100,000 people were killed as a result of the conflict. One of the most significant aspects of Karadzic’s criminal actions was the genocide in Srebrenica. Srebrenica, a U.N safe zone, was raided by Karadzic’s Serb troops in 1995 resulting in the massacre of 8000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in an effort to remove all Muslims and Croats from the territory.

The UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab stated that Karadzic “was responsible for the massacre of men, women and children in the Srebrenica genocide and helped prosecute the siege of Sarajevo with its remorseless attacks on civilians.” Further, he highlighted the critical nature of the UK’s involvement in the arrest of Karadzic. After the massacre of thousands in a process of ethnic cleansing, Karadzic went into hiding. The US CIA and UK MI6 worked in tandem to track and apprehend Karadzic to bring him to trial. The effort took 13 years and resulted in a complex and multifaceted task force.

Karadzic stood trial at the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands and was found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity in 2016. The trial has been deemed one of the most significant war crimes trials since World War II. The case against Karadzic gathered evidence from witnesses and survivors who determined Karadzic’s participation in many criminal plots which aimed at removing Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats from Bosnian Serbian territory. He was charged with two counts of genocide, five counts of crimes against humanity and four counts of violations of the laws or customs of war. Karadzic was found guilty of 10 of the 11 charges and sentenced to 40 years in prison. Appeal judges later increased his sentence to life in prison.

The tensions within the former Yugoslavia arose due to tensions between ethnics groups. Following a declaration of independence in Croatia and Slovenia, Bosnia called for its own independence. However, Bosnian Serbs resisted the motion thus, leading Karadzic to spark a powerful and violent conflict.

The decision to transfer Karadzic from a UN detention unit in the Netherlands. As the convicted criminal is 75, he will likely spend his remaining years, within UK detention. As the United Kingdom is a United Nations enforcement state, criminals found guilty of crimes relating to the former Yugoslavia, can be incarcerated within their criminal justice system. The transfer highlights the connections and networks of support and provisions within the United Nations. Karadzic’s violent crimes destroyed the lives of many emphasizes the notion of conflict within a divided state. However, his arrest, trial and detention stress the critical importance of international cooperation, intelligence and aid in the face of disaster and tragedy.