Top Bosnian Serb war crimes fugitive arrested

by Barry Artiste | June 12, 2008 at 07:38 am | 271 views | 4 comments

Far Right: Stojan Zupljanin Bosnian Serb War Criminal in 1992 now arrested

Top Bosnian Serb war crimes fugitive arrested

Opiinion
Barry Artiste, Now Public Contributor

Stojan Zupljanin, on the run for a few years from the law for atrocious war crimes unimaginable in the ethnic cleansing of Muslim and Croat men, women and children. In the 1990's Canadian Peacekeepers in Bosnia at time disregarded United Nations orders to stay out of the ethnic cleansing conflict going on in front of their eyes and engaged in a fierce firefight with Serbian Forces to stop the ethnic cleansing going on in front of them, saving countless Muslim and Croat lives in the process.

This much to the United Nations displeasure in which United Nations felt the Dove approach of diplomatic channels should always be used first before taking drastic actions, such as written warnings to stop killing people. Canadian Peacekeepers like most knew that would be too little too late and engaged the enemy over several days contrary to the UN Mandate.

Most will remember Rwanda went through a similar ethnic cleansing when Canadian Peacekeepers notified the UN about the ethnic slaughter of almost a Million men, women and children and the UN ignored Canadian Peacekeepers pleas until it was too late.

Many soldiers including myself as an ex soldier question the United Nations viability as a World Peacekeeping Body, who continually allow atrocities to go on continually over the world, as the Military Hawks as Peacekeepers are told to Roost and just observe while the Killings continue even as I write this story.

BELGRADE -- Serbia arrested wartime Bosnian Serb security chief Stojan Zupljanin on Wednesday and was to send him to the United Nations tribunal in The Hague for trial on war crimes charges.

Mr. Zupljanin, 56, was one of the top four fugitives sought by the tribunal for war crimes in the territory of former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, and his arrest was seen as a step forward in Serbia's European Union accession efforts.

"Stojan Zupljanin was arrested today near Belgrade... police and security agents took part in the operation. He should be extradited to the Hague in the next 72 hours," said Bruno Vekaric, spokesman for Serbia's special war crimes prosecutor.

The Hague confirmed the arrest, which comes as Serbia, deeply split between nationalists and a pro-EU block after May 11 inconclusive elections, is immersed in intense coalition negotiations.

Mr. Zupljanin was found at an apartment about 8 km (5 miles) from the centre of Belgrade and was to be taken before an investigative judge at the war crimes court in Belgrade before being extradited.

"There was no resistance during his arrest," said Vladimir Vukcevic, Serbia's chief war crimes prosecutor, who coordinated the operation. "This arrest shows clearly that we are seriously cooperating [with the Hague] and there is the political will for full cooperation."

Officials said Mr. Zupljanin had foiled a previous attempt to arrest him in the southern Serbian city of Nis two months ago. His family had publicly called on him to surrender, to spare them the embarrassment and financial collapse, as all their assets were frozen.

Mr. Zupljanin, a commander in the city of Banja Luka during the 1992-95 Bosnia war, is charged with killing Muslim and Croat civilians and his arrest was welcomed in Bosnia.

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amyjudd

at 10:00 on June 12th, 2008

good stuff:

Barry Artiste, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Barry Artiste

at 11:16 on June 12th, 2008

Thanks Amy, certainly about time he was caught and no big help was the United Nations, many of us soldiers commented on the UN requesting we only observe and never assist when civilians are in trouble.We always wondered if you took a 100 United Nations Bureaucrats from New York and plunked them down smack into the middle of the ethnic cleansing, how many fat bloated UN bureaucrats would be pleading with us to fire on the offending army in order to save their sorry UN Asses. BUt then it is easy for them to play armchair diplomats in New York, the useless T*ats all of em.!