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The other side to the Karadzic story

by mchawk | July 26, 2008 at 01:12 pm

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If there can be another point of view on a murderous dictator, you can always count on the historical revisionists. It was only a few years after WW2 when Holocaust deniers started to gain a voice and question the truth of history.

And so it is with the history of the last days of Yugoslavia, as some in the Serbian press have come to praise Karadzic, not to bury him.

Serbia's initial response to the arrest and revelations about the secret life of Radovan Karadzic was profound shock. His second life as Dragan Dabic quickly drowned out any more profound coverage of the crimes he is alleged to have committed.

"Radovan Betrayed," "Serb Thugs Arrest Radovan", "Treason," or "Lady Lover and Healer of the Famous" are typical of the screaming headlines that have accompanied the coup.

Few of the items in the popular papers spend more than a sentence reminding anyone that he is accused of masterminding the massacre in Srebrenica.

What they have been doing instead is fuelling the myth of Mr Karadzic as Serb war hero, witty and smart psychiatrist-turned healer who succeeded in defying the enemies of the Serb nation.

The interest in his love life and alleged companion Mila is fading away and now pages and pages are being dedicated to his religious lifestyle.

Tales are told about his visits to Orthodox monasteries in the province, brands of bottled water or preferred fruits and vegetables he bought in New Belgrade corner shops. "He reads the Bible, drinks mineral water and takes a few bites of food in the detention unit", reports one newspaper.

And this undeserving 'folk-hero' has a surprisingly large number of supporters, as thousands are reported to have gathered in support of their fallen leader - in Belgrade and in Pale, near Sarajevo, where Karadzic had his headquarters during the war. Many held banners and flags of Karadzic. Others wore t-shirts with the phrase "Serbian Hero" underneath his image.

For all we hold dear the 'open access' news-gathering of this age, 'truth' is never so subjective as with a country in defeat.

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