'Butcher of Bosnia' Ratko Mladic goes on trial over slaughter at Srebrenica

Toussaint Kluiters / Pool via Reuters

Former Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladic sits in a courtroom in The Hague on Wednesday as his trial opens. Mladic, 70, faces 11 overall counts for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Updated at 4:57 a.m.: THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic went on trial for genocide on Wednesday, accused of leading the slaughter of 8,000 unarmed Muslim boys and men in Srebrenica in 1995, Europe's worst atrocity since World War II.

The ailing 70-year-old Mladic's appearance at the U.N. tribunal for the former Yugoslavia marks the end of a long wait for justice to survivors of the 1992-95 war that left some 100,000 people dead. He is accused of 11 charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Mladic, in a suit and tie and looking healthier than at previous pretrial hearings, gave a thumbs-up and clapped to supporters in the court's public gallery as the trial got under way. He occasionally wrote notes and showed no emotion as prosecutors began outlining his alleged crimes.


One woman in the public gallery called him a "vulture" as prosecutors began two days of laying out their case for judges.

Presiding Judge Alphons Orie of the Netherlands said at the outset that the court was considering postponing the presentation of evidence, due to start May 29, due to "errors" by prosecutors in disclosing evidence to the defense. Prosecutor Dermot Groome said he would not oppose a "reasonable adjournment."

Mladic allegedly orchestrated not only the week-long massacre in Srebrenica, at the time a U.N. "safe haven", but also the 43-month siege of Sarajevo, in which more than 10,000 people were killed by snipers, machineguns and heavy artillery.

Munira Subasic, who lost 22 family members in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, was among a group of relatives of war dead heading into the courtroom to face Mladic.

The 65-year-old said she wanted to look him in the eye "and ask him if he will repent for what he did."

'Murderer!'
Mladic, who was arrested last May after 16 years on the run, has dismissed the charges as "monstrous" and says he is too ill to stand trial. The court entered a "not guilty" plea on his behalf.

The case has inevitably stirred up violent emotions in the Balkans. Survivors watching proceedings from the court gallery have shouted "Murderer!" and "Killer!" at a man nicknamed the "Butcher of Bosnia."

Serge Ligtenberg / Getty Images

A career soldier, Mladic stands accused of orchestrating the siege of Sarajevo and the slaughter of 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica.

For his part, Mladic has been angry and defiant during pre-trial hearings, heckling the judge, shouting and interrupting the proceedings.

"The whole world knows who I am," he told a hearing last year. "I am General Ratko Mladic. I defended my people, my country ... now I am defending myself."

Mladic was in charge of the Bosnian Serb army when, over several days in July 1995, Serb fighters overran the Srebrenica enclave in eastern Bosnia, theoretically under the protection of Dutch U.N. peacekeepers.

Srebrenica: The story that will never end

Video footage shot at the time showed Mladic mingling with Muslim prisoners.

Shortly afterwards, the men and boys were separated from the women, stripped of identification, and shot.

The dead were bulldozed into mass graves, then later dug up with excavators and hauled away in trucks to be better hidden from the world, in dozens of remote mass graves.

War crimes suspect Ratko Mladic made his first appearance before a war crimes tribunal at The Hague. He called the charges against him "obnoxious" and told the court he was "too ill" to face trial. ITN's Bill Neely reports.

Prosecutors say Mladic was part of a "joint criminal enterprise to eliminate the Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica by killing the men and boys ... and forcibly removing the women, young children and some elderly men".

Mladic is also held responsible for the siege and bombardment of the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, which prosecutors said was intended to "spread terror among the civilian population."

The horrors of the siege, together with the Srebrenica massacre, eventually galvanized world opinion in support of the campaign of Western airstrikes on Bosnian Serb targets that brought the conflict to an end shortly after.

Mladic was indicted in 1995 along with Radovan Karadzic, the Bosnian Serbs' political leader.

Serbian war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic has been arrested. He was indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for orchestrating the Srebrenica massacre. He is charged with genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the laws of war. ITN's Paul Davies reports.

Yet both remained free in Serbia for more than a decade before being tracked down and sent to The Hague. Karadzic's trial is already under way.

Defense lawyers say they have not had enough time to review the huge case file prepared by prosecutors and asked for the trial to be postponed, but the request was denied.

411 witnesses
Serge Brammertz, the court's chief prosecutor, has dismissed Mladic's assertion that he is too frail to sit through a 200-hour prosecution case involving testimony from 411 witnesses.

His appearance in The Hague is testament to the work of the tribunal, which has defied skeptics by managing, in the course of 19 years, to arrest all its 161 indictees.

But some victims still fear that Mladic, who has received physical therapy for a possible stroke, could escape judgment by dying in mid-trial.

Mladic's mentor, former Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic, the architect of the Balkan wars, died in detention in 2006, a few months before a verdict in his trial for genocide and other war crimes in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

More world news from msnbc.com and NBC News:

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Discuss this post

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"But some victims still fear that Mladic, who has received physical therapy for a possible stroke, could escape judgment by dying in mid-trial."

What do they want him to do serve time in jail, or would they argue for the death penalty after he is convicted? Death is death, and there is no coming back unless you are Jesus after a certain point.

If only more could be done in Syria too. The country is up for grabs and many groups are all vying for power now. I fear that one of these groups will seize power and not the people.

  • 5 votes
#1 - Wed May 16, 2012 4:01 AM EDT

The whole thing is just a shame. Beautiful people beautiful county. AND just as in Lebanon Syria politics and religious extremists have , are, or going to destroy a country and cause pain to it's people. This is where the term Balkanization and ethic cleansing came from. I truly hope they recover. As for this "person" one can only hope he gets what he diserves now and later...

  • 7 votes
#1.1 - Wed May 16, 2012 4:27 AM EDT

Most Serbs support what this dude did. Not kidding.

We Americans think racism/religion is bad here, but have no idea. In that region, ethnicity and religion is a lot more complex and contentious. Which I find fascinating because they all look alike, but have different beliefs.

If you want to know about the whole conflict with the Yugoslavia Wars, watch this:

  • 12 votes
#1.2 - Wed May 16, 2012 4:28 AM EDT

This U.N. court does not sentence people to death. Life in prison is the maximum sentence. The objective of putting persons like Mladic on trial is not punishment, but to obtain a conviction after evidence of crimes against humanity are presented at a public trial. When such leaders as Mladic are convicted, their followers must bear some of the guilt, even though they might not also be put on trial.

  • 4 votes
#1.3 - Wed May 16, 2012 4:45 AM EDT

Hang the m-fker by the balls and after 3 days hang him by the neck.

  • 5 votes
#1.4 - Wed May 16, 2012 7:34 AM EDT

@gck-wyo, I agree with you. Is't religion a wonderful thing? What I find interesting is they were doing Clan warfare before the the Russians took them over, and they were under Russian rule for I don't know how long. It seams when the Russians left it was back to business as usual. It doesn't seamed like they skipped a beat.

  • 1 vote
#1.5 - Wed May 16, 2012 7:55 AM EDT

Conquer, kill and continual suppression of those unlike you is the way to become a great nation. I can't think of one developed nation today that did not start out that way, including America with the Native Americans. If you can't follow through with it then you fail and you don't write the history but others do and their history won't be kind.

  • 2 votes
#1.6 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:23 AM EDT

I dont know why we keep fanning the flames if they weren't Muslims nothing would have changed..It was their culture it was racism, he also killed Christians..

  • 7 votes
#1.7 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:31 AM EDT

Christians in yugo have a long deep hatred of Muslims, they call it "ethnic cleansing" for a reason. Kinda like all the hate brewing in America for Muslims. so where is the next war criminal? oh yeah, he left office in 2008

  • 4 votes
#1.8 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:40 AM EDT

Actually, the majority of the hatred comes FROM the muslims. More than 90% of muslims are actually the descendents of Serbs who were forced to convert under the Ottoman Empire. That's why they have Serbian last names - and yet, many of them refuse to admit that they are actually Serbs who just happen to have a different religion.

In addition, Serbian leaders are not the only ones who committed war crimes. All three sides did terrible things. Croatians (helped by former US military, no less)forced 300,000 Serbs to leave Croatia over a few days, and more than 10,000 of those people are "missing". Many of those refugees, continue to live in refugee camps more than 10 years later. Muslims blew up some of their own people to make it look like it was done by Serbs.

There are good and bad on all sides. We really don't know the whole story so we are in no position to judge.

  • 4 votes
#1.9 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:57 AM EDT

Wait wait wait....muslims kill people by the HOUR yet if you kill them in the same proportions then youve committed genocide and are a slaughterer? I guess then Vlad the Impaler would have also been convicted for crimes against humanity eh?

  • 8 votes
#1.10 - Wed May 16, 2012 9:15 AM EDT

What's with this blanket condemnation of Muslims? There are as many different Muslims as there are Christians, Jews, Buddhists, or people with brown eyes, for that matter.

  • 2 votes
#1.11 - Wed May 16, 2012 9:33 AM EDT

TNRebel

Short answer to your question: All of them except Buddhism.

  • 4 votes
#1.13 - Wed May 16, 2012 11:40 AM EDT

The Hague/world Court does not have the death penalty so he will never be held fully accountable and face the justice he deserves, this is the problem with this court....especially since most of these war criminals from around the world are in their old age by the time they are finally arrested they have lived the best parts of their lives as free men. Who really cares if a 70 yr old is brought to trial....a 100,00 deaths but he can only die once, never an equal penalty for these 'people'. I believe torture and eventual death should belong to all of those convicted....revenge is just as good as justice especially since they have evade capture for so long. I would take revenge over justice and justice for this court is a weak wrist and a slap on the hand.

  • 2 votes
#1.14 - Wed May 16, 2012 1:56 PM EDT

Im going on and switching to Buddhism cause no one talks about them.

    #1.15 - Wed May 16, 2012 10:29 PM EDT
    Reply

    Everyone on this planet who wants to, should be allowed to punch this guy in the face or kick him in the balls one time, as they choose. Positively loathsome scum.

    • 13 votes
    Reply#2 - Wed May 16, 2012 4:05 AM EDT

    Like your comment but I couldnt be in the same room with him..A little voice told me.

      #2.1 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:39 AM EDT

      Ratko? I wonder why this Rat committed genocide?

      • 1 vote
      #2.2 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:57 AM EDT

      I think Timm needs to find God and come to grips with his violence and hatred toward people and learn to forgive.

        #2.3 - Thu May 17, 2012 8:06 AM EDT
        Reply

        To think one man is willing able and given the power to orchestrate such acts.

          Reply#3 - Wed May 16, 2012 4:09 AM EDT

          There is no war crime trial for USA even though America kills hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen. During the Vietnam War, America's B-52 carpet bombing killed nearly one million Vietnamese civilians.

          Where is the world's outrage as American leaders daily use drone or commandos overtly and covertly to assassinate anyone in the world suspected to be a terrorist?

          The trial of Mladic is a political circus to appease certain governments. Had Mladic worn a US military uniform, he would be praised as a war hero and decorated with much medals.

          • 8 votes
          #4 - Wed May 16, 2012 4:20 AM EDT

          One of the nice things about the USA is that you are not forced to stay here. People who hate this country, as you obviously do, are allowed and encouraged to go somewhere else. Get out! See if you can find a place that is better.

          • 13 votes
          #4.1 - Wed May 16, 2012 4:36 AM EDT

          Another nice thing about the USA is people have the right to say unpopular things without fear of government reprisal.

          • 7 votes
          #4.2 - Wed May 16, 2012 4:48 AM EDT

          Invisible Hand, really? Tell that to the UC Davis protestors.

          And why do you think they're shutting down Chicago for the NATO meeting? Why are there "free-speech zones" in DC? The First Amendment is dead, along with the rest of the Constitution.

          • 6 votes
          #4.3 - Wed May 16, 2012 4:53 AM EDT

          Well, the Second Amendment is still pretty much alive and well. So far.

          • 6 votes
          #4.4 - Wed May 16, 2012 6:12 AM EDT

          Fatcat: Actually, there is a difference between Mladic and the American military of today; INTENT.

          I've read you in the past. You just love to single out America. When it comes to Vietnam, you have a point. However, I have never heard you mention once the atrocities committed by Russia, Japan, generals and dictators in Africa - and the list goes on. If you truly want justice rather retribution, then let us read your view on what other countries could and perhaps should be accountable for.

          And about drone strikes on terrorists; keep those drones up there Mr. Obama.

          • 6 votes
          #4.5 - Wed May 16, 2012 7:36 AM EDT

          TNRebel - I spent time in Bosnia in support of IFOR/SFOR. The "Muslims" of Bosnia have nothing in common with the raghead suicide bombers running around in the arabian desert. The arabs would not assist them when they were being wiped out of existince because they were not "true muslims". The Bosnians, aside from the language and some cultural differences, are just like most other Europeans.

          • 3 votes
          #4.7 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:04 AM EDT

          Not that I agree to kill anyone at anytime nor do I agree to kill anyone by the truck load but I will disagree with you Roger. Muslims are Muslims no matter where they live and when it comes down to it they all act the same for the same cause and beliefs. On the other hand not all Muslims will become suicide bombers but they are just as dangerous with their agenda.

          To say they are just like the rest of the Europeans is just not true. Try to take the burka away from them or their Hijab and see what they turn into. Their religion is and always will be their common ground no matter where they live or how nice you may think they are in passing.
          Try to stop them from blocking streets while they pray, they turn into crazy people all for religion.

          To this day no one has told me anything they have done for the general public. Have they helped in time of need?Have they brought food to those that are hungary?Have they built homes for the homeless?Have they brought medical needs to the sick?Have they given any disaster help, food ,water, blankets, tents.....anything......ever?

          • 5 votes
          #4.8 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:53 AM EDT

          Philip Worsman: Bosnian Muslims don't wear burkas or hijabs. They don't block streets when they pray. They have given disaster help, water, food, etc. to others in time of need. You simply have no idea what you're talking about.

          You are making a blanket condemnation of all Muslims. It's factually incorrect, it's bigotry, and it's morally wrong.

          • 5 votes
          #4.9 - Wed May 16, 2012 9:00 AM EDT

          Philip, you are very correct. I would also like to add that the muslims in Bosnia are actually descendents of Serbs who were forced to convert to Islam by the Ottoman Turks (they did rule the area for 500 years).

          These "Bosnian Muslims" have Serbian last names, and let's just say that if your last name is "O'Malley", then at some point your family was Irish. And yet, they refuse to acknowledge that they are also Serbs, just with a different religion.

          In addition, the Bosnian Muslims also committed many atrocities, which occurred prior to anything Mladic did. They massacred a whole town of Serbs on Orthodox Christmas Eve.

          And FatCat is also correct. American military leaders can and do the same terrible things, but do not get charged with war crimes. And somebody mentioned intent. American military leaders who do this are not doing it to protect Americans. At least you can say that these Serb leaders were, at least in their own minds, trying to protect their people.

          • 5 votes
          #4.10 - Wed May 16, 2012 9:06 AM EDT

          And here we Americans reelected the Buffoon in 2004, one of the worst mass murderers!

          • 3 votes
          #4.11 - Wed May 16, 2012 9:13 AM EDT

          Muslims are Muslims no matter where they live and when it comes down to it they all act the same for the same cause and beliefs.

          Really? While I am not Muslim myself, I find this statement to be repulsive. Just like in Christianity there are extremists that take the word of their faith and twist it to fit their own personal agenda. Ask any TRUE Muslim. Before you can understand a religion, you must first read what it is they stand for. ALL the Muslims I know preach accepting your fellow man and showing tolerance and forgiveness.

          • 7 votes
          #4.12 - Wed May 16, 2012 9:16 AM EDT

          Arnold, your proof of help? Anyone can say they help but where is the proof?

          They do block Streets in Europe and they do wear burkas and hijabs. It is fact and I've been there to see it along with how they act when they don't get their way.

          Speaking the truth has never made a person a bigot or morally wrong in fact it makes them a better person.

          • 5 votes
          #4.13 - Wed May 16, 2012 9:20 AM EDT

          And FatCat is also correct. American military leaders can and do the same terrible things, but do not get charged with war crimes. And somebody mentioned intent. American military leaders who do this are not doing it to protect Americans. At least you can say that these Serb leaders were, at least in their own minds, trying to protect their people

          What he was trying to say is that, our military doesn't maliciously target innocent women and children. Yes, they may become casualties. Mostly because the targets we're after are hiding amongst the innocent. They do this in order to undermine the U.S. and it's ideals. For example; If I'm a member of a terrorist organization, and want the "western ideals" destroyed, I would remain in a heavily populated area, so that when U.S. forces come in with guns and smart bombs blazing they end up killing and injuring the innocent, thus bringing ridicule and doubt to the ideals America and what we're trying to accomplish. But I digress.

          No, what American military leaders do is NOT the same as what Mladic did. And I challenge you to point out an instance (post 1900) where we have.

          • 1 vote
          #4.14 - Wed May 16, 2012 9:28 AM EDT

          @reallyguys, I understand them more then you do as I was in the mix of them for over 8 years.

          What is it you feel I'm twisting and what agenda could I possibly have here on the Vine? The truth is the truth even when it hurts or makes you feel repulsed.

          Everyone says they stand for peace....where is the proof. Actions speak and they speak volumes everyday.

          Where is the proof of helping others (besides other Muslims) ?

          • 3 votes
          #4.15 - Wed May 16, 2012 9:36 AM EDT

          @ Philip T Worsman

          I wasn't insinuating that you were twisting anything personally or have an agenda. Go back and re-read my statement. Comprehension is key. I was speaking of religious extremists.... Muslims and Christians alike. I was not referring to you in any way. Unless of course you are an extremist.

          Oh, and by the way. Don't assume you "know more than me". You have no idea where I've been or what I've done in my life. I have spent time in Bosnia Herzegovenia myself. Little town called Brcko (pronounced Birchko).

            #4.16 - Wed May 16, 2012 9:42 AM EDT

            You were replying to my post so I took it as you were speaking about me but after re-reading it I understand. Sorry.

            Not an extremist by any means....LOL

              #4.17 - Wed May 16, 2012 9:51 AM EDT

              FatCat,

              When I was in Vietnam, you could line up 20 persons from a village, dressed in civilian attire and shoot all 20. You might, get it might, kill one actual civilian. By day civilians/farmers, at night out hunting/shooting your ass... In other words, you do not know what you are speaking of!

              • 2 votes
              #4.18 - Wed May 16, 2012 9:51 AM EDT

              @ Philip T Worsman.... again. :)

              I'm not trying to convert you, as I am not Muslim, but you asked where the proof of Muslims helping was. I offer you a link to take a look at and submit to you that the proof of Muslims helping lies in their actions. Not necessarily large contributions, but the small things that many others overlook.

                #4.19 - Wed May 16, 2012 10:09 AM EDT

                I would love to see the link and read about when you get a chance. Thanks.

                • 3 votes
                #4.20 - Wed May 16, 2012 10:13 AM EDT

                ugh.  It removed my link.  Hang on

                Hopefully this works

                  #4.21 - Wed May 16, 2012 10:20 AM EDT

                  bah. I give up. You can google "examples of Muslims helping others" lol

                    #4.22 - Wed May 16, 2012 10:31 AM EDT

                    I took the past hour or so to research your wording through Google and I did find things speaking of helping, but as I posted before, it shows them and even tells them (muslims)"Whosoever removes a worldly grief from a believer, Allah will remove from him one of the griefs of the Day of Judgment. "

                    Key word is believer, as far as helping non-believers I still can't find anything of any value to say this religion helps and using the word religion I feel is even wrong it should be more like a cult. Religions help others without problems of race color or creed and cults tend to work only within there own type(s).

                    If Anyone has any proof showing them doing anything for the general public that shows them reaching out to others in a caring way please by all means prove me wrong, I'm not above learning something new about the Muslims.

                      #4.23 - Wed May 16, 2012 12:04 PM EDT

                      Philip...

                      You don't know what you are talking about. I was in Bosnia right after this war ended and spent most of my time in Srebrenica and Sarajevo. I worked alongside people who were muslim and never knew until they told me. Never saw a burka or hijab. Never heard anyone say praise allah. The people killed in Srebrenica were small town people, farmers, miners and loggers, with no political leaning or activities what so ever.

                      I once asked a person in one of the towns around that area what it was like before the war and if they were fighting all the way up to it. She said that there had been very little fighting for years and muslims and serbs were getting along, beginning to integrate and marry and no one really cared about religon. When the soviet Union fell and pulled out their control of the region, Milosevic began a divisive campaign between muslims and serbs, when the intent was to expand Serbia's control over what was then former yugoslavia. That war didn't have anything to do with religion. Religion was used to start it...the same way it is used to feed the flames of war in the US.

                      As for proof of muslims being caring - after 911 millions of muslims world wide denounced Osama Bin Laden for what he had done and when I met muslims when I was in the service in Bosnia, they were always kind, decent people. It's the extremists that cause the problems

                      • 1 vote
                      #4.24 - Wed May 16, 2012 1:35 PM EDT

                      Search google for 'Muslims protect christian church' for articles about Muslims forming human shields around Christian churchs during Christmas to protect them from attack in Egypt, Nigeria and Indonesia.

                      Not all Muslims are the same, just like not all Christians are the same. Ever read the Old Testament? Most of us should have been stoned to death already according to its rules.

                      • 1 vote
                      #4.25 - Wed May 16, 2012 2:36 PM EDT

                      @whoknow

                      All I can say is you either didn't get around too much or your not being honest about being there. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and go with 'you didn't get out much'....presstv.ir/detail/2012/05/13/240914/bosnians-rebury-war-victims/

                      Otherwise Google Muslim woman in Bosnia and search photos

                      You will need to put the normal prefix in front of it to get there.

                      As far as a caring Muslim you missed the target altogether, re-read my post again.

                      • 1 vote
                      #4.26 - Wed May 16, 2012 4:49 PM EDT

                      @Drew

                      What I'm looking for once again is the millions of Muslims that have either sent aid (food, water, tents or even monies) or went as a group to help to place like....Lets say Haiti for the sake that everyone heard of the devastation that took place and it wasn't an unknown event.

                      Every other group (religion) I have found help or aid sent but not by the Muslims and by the vast numbers you would think they would've had some part in the help given. These are the actions that say we are a peaceful, loving caring group of people that don't care about color or creed or who you might pray to.

                      • 2 votes
                      #4.27 - Wed May 16, 2012 5:11 PM EDT
                      Reply

                      I have two (2) questions, for now anyway, 1) What was accomplished other then lost of lives-which may be better off not be persecuted and alienated for being muslim?; 2) What is meant my "life-after-death" and how will your fare?

                      • 1 vote
                      Reply#5 - Wed May 16, 2012 4:47 AM EDT

                      Let's see here... Mladic is a Bosnian Serb, i.e., a Christian, who sought to rid his country of Muslims. Aren't there some Americans with similarly extreme views who believe it would be all right to rid their country of Muslims?

                      • 8 votes
                      Reply#6 - Wed May 16, 2012 4:52 AM EDT

                      Yes, and their numbers are alarming, and growing. And of course, right after they get rid of all the Muslims, the Jews are next, and then the Hindus, the Sikhs, the Atheists, the Agnostics, and ultimately all who disagree with their religious "views". I put the word views in quotes because I find it hard to believe that people so blinded by their religion can actually have a view of anything.

                      • 4 votes
                      #6.1 - Wed May 16, 2012 6:17 AM EDT

                      Yes, Serbia has long been a kettle of seething resentments and extremist politics. Look at their history during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. It's not for nothing that they were the spark that got WWI (and thus, WWII) going.

                      • 2 votes
                      #6.2 - Wed May 16, 2012 7:37 AM EDT

                      Yep, I think there are.......scary isn't it?

                      • 1 vote
                      #6.3 - Wed May 16, 2012 7:52 AM EDT

                      Actually no. We are seeking to rid the WORLD of Muslim EXTREMISTS (aka terrorists). The rest of the Muslim world may live in peace. ;)

                      • 4 votes
                      #6.4 - Wed May 16, 2012 9:31 AM EDT
                      Reply

                      These were old scores from WWI that were not settled then and still are not settled now. And once we have that really big meltdown in Europe that takes the rest of the world with it, this part of the world will once again erupt.

                      • 4 votes
                      Reply#7 - Wed May 16, 2012 5:16 AM EDT

                      rodentwarrior:

                      The 'old scores' goes back further than WWI. A major historical milestone for religious war or animosity in the Caucaus is the Ottoman Empire expansion into Central Europe. After losing many battles, the Western European Christians kingdoms finally were able summon enough manpower to stalemate the Muslims who were advancing into the Caucus region.

                      The wars between the Christians and Islamist came to a temporary cessation around the general area called Serbia and western Turkey, today. There were no formal truce or treaty that offically halted the war or slaughter.

                      Under the brutal communist regimes, religious factions in the Caucus never seized enough power to wage war against the others. The collapse of the USSR unleashed the latent but potent religious bigotry into the warfare.

                      • 4 votes
                      #7.1 - Wed May 16, 2012 6:23 AM EDT

                      It goes much further back the WWI.

                      Serbs, croats, bosnians, albanians etc has been fighting since the Byzantine Empire.

                      • 4 votes
                      #7.2 - Wed May 16, 2012 6:33 AM EDT

                      the Monroe doctrine dose not sound so bad now a days,,,,does it lol

                      • 1 vote
                      #7.3 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:45 AM EDT

                      @FatCatGets$700Bil, Serbia and the rest of former Ygoslavia is in the Balcans, not the Caucaus mountain. Causaus mountans are a few thouthand milles further east, in the south of Russina Federation. Among your mistatments this one if perhaps the smallest one, but you could at least, have goten the geography right.

                        #7.4 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:53 AM EDT

                        Ilya:

                        I stand corrected. I meant the Balkan areas where the Muslim and Christians warriors halted their religious war temporarily. The "Balkanization" of the region expanded over time. It finally boiled over in the Serbia-Bosnia-Albania conflict.

                          #7.5 - Sun May 20, 2012 6:50 AM EDT
                          Reply

                          This man is a Christian? I wasn't aware of that. Muslims were persecuted...never heard any of the great Muslim leaders stand up and denounce this animal for his mass murderers...no wailing in the streets for there fellow citizen's of Islam...I've only seen the burning of U.S. flags and effigies of George Bush. Course' they do that in this country in front of the Lincoln Memorial. What of the Jews?...were they ever persecuted? Has any of these worldly scholars commented on what these people, (not the so called leaders from the media) the everyday working man that believes that there is One God and He is a God of Love? Has anyone taken the time to skim through the 3 holy books these people live by? Whether your Muslim, Christian or Jew...The Creator of Life, Abraham, Isaac and Moses are all great Patriarchs and prophets...and are revered as the Fathers'
                          of our children...all children.

                          • 1 vote
                          Reply#8 - Wed May 16, 2012 5:46 AM EDT

                          Every time your god stands by and watches masses of people slaughtered

                          your religious B.S. sounds more ridiculous... six million in world war 2 and

                          that was just the Jew's... Grow up!

                          • 5 votes
                          #8.1 - Wed May 16, 2012 6:56 AM EDT

                          What do you say to someone with intelligence who has realized for too many years that god is a three letter word made up by man, nothing more, nothing less.

                          • 7 votes
                          #8.2 - Wed May 16, 2012 7:05 AM EDT

                          True Blue / Matt - 100% Spot on! Religion is responsibile for more war, death and destruction than any other root cause in the history of mankind.

                          • 2 votes
                          #8.3 - Wed May 16, 2012 7:39 AM EDT

                          Nonreturn:

                          And your point is... ?

                          It's your right to preach from the pulpit, but at least let us know what your point is!

                          • 3 votes
                          #8.4 - Wed May 16, 2012 7:43 AM EDT

                          Nonreturn This guy is "Christian" in name only, like many of our "Christians" in that country, did the same thing to the "Muslims" in that country as the Nazi's did to the Jews and other "undesirables" in Germany. First they got all of the Muslims out of the military. Then they systematically disarmed them. (Sort of like what the U. N. and the anti-gunners are trying to do to the citizens of the U. S). Then they started separating them from society just like the Nazi's did. Then they started murdering them in mass. In some cases, with the help of the U. N.

                          In that country, for the most part you couldn't tell a Muslim from a Christian by their dress. They dressed in the western style. They had been living in peace for 400 years and had inter married and there was no trouble until these "radical Christians" took over.

                          • 1 vote
                          #8.5 - Wed May 16, 2012 2:00 PM EDT

                          Nonreturn This guy is "Christian" in name only, like many or the "Christians" in the U. S. Those "Christian Leaders" over there did the same thing to the Muslims the Nazi's did the the Jews and others they considered "undesirables" and people that didn't agree with them.

                          First they booted they Muslims out of the military. Then they disarmed them. (Much like the U. N. and the Anti Gunners" are trying to do the citizens of the U. S.) This was followed by separating the Muslims from the rest of the citizens which was followed by mass murders.

                          This country lived in peace for 400years and intermarried until these "Radical Christians" took power

                            #8.6 - Wed May 16, 2012 2:14 PM EDT
                            Reply

                            The punishment of one man does not make up for the cruelty of many.

                            Genocide is a really strange word to use for this trial as genocide was also used as a word in Somalia, kenya, and many other places in the world. It was going on but took so long to do anything about,.. that millions were killed.

                            This guy may have done very bad things, and may deserve to rot in jail. But why do we respond to genocide quickly in one place and not another?

                            • 4 votes
                            Reply#9 - Wed May 16, 2012 5:50 AM EDT

                            swerve: Well put.

                            • 2 votes
                            #9.1 - Wed May 16, 2012 7:44 AM EDT

                            @Swerve the answer is .....$$$ . If there is no monetary interest in a particular region .....then there is simply no interest . Until the atrocities become impossible to ignore.... By then thousand may perish

                            • 4 votes
                            #9.2 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:24 AM EDT

                            @ PValdes

                            Please, enlighten us. What monetary interest is there in Bosnia? Just curious.

                              #9.3 - Wed May 16, 2012 9:55 AM EDT

                              The UN intervened in Bosnia because there was some hope that the intervention would WORK. Somalia, Rwanda, etc, are hopeless. You can go and try, and try, and try again, but you aren't going to change the daily lives of their citizens.

                              Also, the Balkans are in the center of Europe, and their residents are spread across the local borders into the neighboring countries. The intervention was as much to keep the war from spreading as to help any particular group.

                                #9.4 - Wed May 16, 2012 1:33 PM EDT

                                ReallyGuys ......exactly . We only entered that conflict after much persuasion. We had NO interest in Bosnia ....and took a long time to get involved after many people had already been dead and buried. Thanks for paying attention....

                                  #9.5 - Wed May 16, 2012 4:31 PM EDT
                                  Reply

                                  The atrocities were horrible on both sides. The major difference is that the Bosnian and Croatian governments hired Washington PR firms and staged many scenes (including bombing their own)to get international sympathy. Bosnian Serbs were killed and forcibly removed from Bosnian territory first by UN accounts. Actually, studies show that Serbs were more likely to have lost family members than Bosnians. This was a civil war with a long and confusing history that can't be explained by terrible journalists looking for the usual good vs. evil story. It's amazing what you can learn by doing research and not relying on bad media like this website. If you want to learn, prepare to spend a couple of hours starting before WWI. There's a lot more to it than the grimacing pale faces of "Serbian war criminals."

                                  • 9 votes
                                  Reply#10 - Wed May 16, 2012 6:22 AM EDT

                                  Nicely put, Dubious.

                                  • 2 votes
                                  #10.1 - Wed May 16, 2012 9:14 AM EDT

                                  Comment # 16 deleted, racist derail.

                                  • 1 vote
                                  #10.2 - Wed May 16, 2012 5:40 PM EDT
                                  Reply

                                  Had he called it "The war on terror" he'd be a hero...

                                  • 3 votes
                                  Reply#12 - Wed May 16, 2012 7:22 AM EDT

                                  A little far fetched don't ya think? This monster lined 8000 people up in front of a hole and gunned them down. A stark contrast from the war on terror if you are trying to insinuate something.

                                  • 3 votes
                                  #12.1 - Wed May 16, 2012 7:47 AM EDT

                                  I feel, just by your reply I have no need to insinuate a thing...

                                  • 1 vote
                                  #12.2 - Wed May 16, 2012 7:56 AM EDT

                                  Whatever. You must have been asleep or in a coma on 9-11. I'm guessing the latter.

                                  • 3 votes
                                  #12.3 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:13 AM EDT

                                  @So over it.......So over people like you painting the US as the bad guy. It is not the same .....and those who can't see the difference are blind.

                                  • 3 votes
                                  #12.4 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:19 AM EDT

                                  Had he called it "The war on terror" he'd be a hero...

                                  I bet your a left winger huh?

                                    #12.5 - Wed May 16, 2012 9:57 AM EDT

                                    @ OilmanMD - I was working in the trade center that day..so check your thoughts about me at the door, pal... @ PValdes - people like me protect this great country and it is very much the same.. only difference is people like YOU think because it is a foreign general he has no right to protect his country's interests as he was ordered..If Obama told you to go kill that man in the best interest of your country could/would you do it.. I doubt it.. @ReallyGuys .. I'm baseball and apple pie.. liberalism is our country's cancer.

                                    • 1 vote
                                    #12.6 - Wed May 16, 2012 10:45 AM EDT

                                    Over it .....If my superior ordered me to kill 8K unarmed civilians ....I would most certainly question it . That is the difference.... Besides pretty sure that " El General" acted on his own accord on this one.

                                    • 1 vote
                                    #12.7 - Wed May 16, 2012 1:36 PM EDT

                                    Is your name "so over it" or SO FULL OF IT? I doubt highly that you were anywhere near the trade center on 9/11/01.

                                    Feel more pity for the people of Japan that died than for the 10's of thousands of US Marines that died on Iwo Jima, don't you. Come on, admit it. Backwards arse coward.

                                      #12.8 - Wed May 16, 2012 1:42 PM EDT

                                      @ PValdes: question it, yes I will never disagree with that, but this isn't the U.S.A. military.. in these under-developed countries do as your told or you and/or your families lives are certainly at risk.. @ jr-700062- You truly must think where you sit.. If you knew me you'd apologise..just a side note I'm looking at the Freedom Tower down the street right now.

                                      • 2 votes
                                      #12.9 - Wed May 16, 2012 2:15 PM EDT
                                      Reply

                                      "Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic went on trial for genocide on Wednesday, accused of leading the slaughter of 8,000 unarmed Muslim boys and men"

                                      Wait a minute..is that a typo? They meant to say the slaughter of 8,000 unarmed Christian boys and men.. right? And Ratko Mladic must be a Muslim, cause a Christian would NEVER commit such an atrocity. Christianity is the religion of peace! Remember? ::Sarcasm::

                                      • 5 votes
                                      Reply#13 - Wed May 16, 2012 7:28 AM EDT

                                      Public Notice: Ethnic Cleansing in New England by Law Enforcement

                                      The following agencies or persons in New England are involved in committing murders of descendants of Jews by blocking from employment or opportunity, subjugating to welfare and government assistance, price-jacking monthly rents by thousands of dollars, stealing their cars, splitting their families, vigilante violence, murdering their elderly in the local nursing homes:

                                      1. Bill Shaheen, of Shaheen & Gordon, Lebanese-American
                                      2. Daniel Cappiello, judge, Rochester District Court, partner, Shaheen & Gordon, Italian-American
                                      3. Wayne Estes, Strafford County Sheriff Department

                                      Web sites:

                                      http://co.strafford.nh.us/sheriff.aspx

                                      http://shaheengordon.com/

                                      Each of these men have colluded with local businesses, real estate agencies, corporations in greater New England that associated with primarily leaders in the Democratic Party, or religious organizations such as the Southern Baptist Convention or Baptist Convention of New England (original church planters from Texas) to ethnically cleanse families of Jewish descent from New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts. Some of these families were law enforcement.

                                      The crimes have been carried out from approximately 1968 to current, perhaps earlier. Bill Shaheen was the sheriff at that time and again later in 1979. Wayne Estes is the current sheriff of Strafford County in New Hampshire. Both men share a massive network across the world that is causing similar crimes with other sheriff’s departments and law enforcement agencies. Bill Shaheen’s wife, Jeanne is a United States Senator. Another US senator, Kelly Ayotte is also named in these crimes. Each has criminally used law enforcement to commit ethnic cleansing. As you know, Ms. Ayotte is a considered candidate for the Republican VP nomination with Mitt Romney.

                                      The families that were or are affected are peaceful persons, non-weapon carrying.

                                      One Rochester family lost as many as 15 family members within about 5 years.

                                      The crimes have concurrently resulted with a rapidly growing Italian-American presence in the federal government branches of the United States that may favor strong Nazi Party initiatives.

                                      The City of Rochester, New Hampshire erected a new, false brown granite monument engraved with a fictitious Jewish family name at the Rochester Cemetery toward the rear of the cemetery to mock those that they have cleansed from the City. Very few if any survived over the years. They seek to kill those that have non-Jewish names but whose DNA evidences Jewish ancestry. Some graves markers of ancestors in some families have been extracted from the cemetery.

                                      Any person that witnesses hate crimes by these persons or by anyone connected to them is strongly urged to contact a local civil rights attorney immediately, file a report with FBI, and federal law enforcement agencies. If you receive no satisfaction from these agencies, contact the local United States National Guard office for defense.

                                      Dismiss the charm. These are dangerous individuals that recognize no boundaries of the law.

                                      You have a right to live without domestic terror as a United States citizen. (42 USC 1983)

                                      These crimes bear international consequences.

                                      The conspiracy to commit felony murder by domestic terror directly involves the president of the United States, Barack Obama

                                      This statement is official.

                                      Kimberly A. Campbell, Esquire

                                      • 4 votes
                                      Reply#14 - Wed May 16, 2012 7:28 AM EDT

                                      They'd have a hard time to "ethnically clense" Jews in Massachusetts. They practically own the state. I should know I've lived there my whole life

                                      • 1 vote
                                      #14.1 - Wed May 16, 2012 7:36 AM EDT
                                      Reply

                                      The thanks from the Muslim world continues to pour in.....NOT.

                                      • 4 votes
                                      Reply#16 - Wed May 16, 2012 7:45 AM EDT

                                      The thanks from the Muslim world continues to pour in.....NOT

                                        Reply#17 - Wed May 16, 2012 7:47 AM EDT

                                        So he goes to trial for killing the enemy? And the muslims that were saved, went on to fight against the US and it's allies in Iraq and afgahnistan! The so called rightous world needs to quit meddleing in other peoples problems.

                                        • 5 votes
                                        Reply#18 - Wed May 16, 2012 7:58 AM EDT

                                        Could they, please, hand him over to Saudi Arabia....PLEASE!

                                        • 1 vote
                                        Reply#19 - Wed May 16, 2012 7:59 AM EDT

                                        This slaughter of Scebrenica is truly a shame to Europe. They did not do crap. The peace keepers in Srebrenica asked for military back-up and did not get it. It was the US who brought an end to the atrocities in Yugoslavia, through Clinton's courage. Americans died for it, and let's remember them.

                                        • 1 vote
                                        Reply#20 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:03 AM EDT

                                        Most European nations are far too "civilized" to get involved in such "petty" squabbles.......after all it was only a few THOUSAND innocents ....and still how little they have learned.

                                        • 2 votes
                                        #20.1 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:40 AM EDT
                                        Reply

                                        Why is this man still breathing ? It has been 17 yrs. No matter what your beliefs or religious affiliation.......This animal killed innocents by the masses and tried to hide it from the world. Those of you who try to some how draw a comparison to "The War n Terror" are completely off base. There is no comparison......it is not the same as the deliberate act of extinguishing people and burying them in mass graves.

                                        • 1 vote
                                        Reply#21 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:17 AM EDT

                                        What the news fails to report is that his actions were in direct response to what the Muslims did to Christians during WW11 and after.

                                        The genocide started with the Muslims against Christians and people in those counties have long memories and so the retaliation with the killing of so many Muslims was and still is in many minds over there "justified".

                                        Many on both sides died because of religion. So nobody will EVER convince me that religion is not the most evil of beliefs on the face of this earth.

                                        It did not end with the killing of the Jews in WW11 and is more prevalent today than before WW11.

                                        • 3 votes
                                        Reply#22 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:19 AM EDT

                                        Just put a bullet in the MF, and execute any family he may have left. Quit wasting soooooo much time. Be done with it..................The score is now more even

                                        • 2 votes
                                        Reply#23 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:26 AM EDT
                                        Reply

                                        Another Nazi. Nothing more. Nothing less. Genocide went on in Bosnia while Europe just sat there. Genocie in its own back yard and it did nothing. Bill Clinton stepped in, not with troops, but with planes, bombing the Serbs military and political sites. We accidently hit the Chinese embassy and they got all hot and bothered, but who cares, all they care about is business. Look at the crap they are pulling with Syria and Iran now. Anyway, thanks to Bill Clinton and the US, this Nazi and his army were taken down and we saved these people and these countries from becoming another Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia. He's psycho. He has no regret. He has no sympathy. He has not empathy. The ONLY thing he cares about is that HE LOST. His dreams of a glorious Christian Serbian Empire, is in the dust bin of history, just like the Thrid Reich, which was supposed to last 1,000 years and actually lasted about 40. Kruschev of the Soviet Union said he would bury us (the west) and it wasn't very long afterwards the Soviet Union imploded from its own causes. So, who cares if he's defiant. Put his sorry ass in some international prison and let him spend the rest of his life doing nothing.

                                        • 2 votes
                                        Reply#24 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:27 AM EDT

                                        Because they won, they are the butchers? What about all the effen muslim scurn that started the slaughtering? It's not like this guy woke up one day and said "I am going to slaughter a bunch of puke muslims". Muslims started the slaughter and this guy finished it!

                                        • 1 vote
                                        Reply#25 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:27 AM EDT

                                        Completely factually wrong. And bigoted. And generally just mean and nasty. If you can excuse the gunning down of 8000 unarmed civilians, including children, you are depraved.

                                        • 3 votes
                                        #25.1 - Wed May 16, 2012 9:13 AM EDT

                                        Actually, he's right. The first acts were the following:

                                        1. Muslims and Croatians attacked a Serbian wedding party and killed the bride/groom's father and other relatives.

                                        2. On Orthodox Christmas Eve, muslims went in and slaughtered a whole town of Serbs while they were celebrating a religious holiday.

                                        After that, it was out and out war, with all sides committing atrocities. I met a Serbian man who told me that he walked into a Serbian house and found a child baked in the oven. They wrote in blood on the walls "meat for mother and father". How would you react if you found something like that? Wouldn't you go crazy and go out and kill for revenge?

                                        • 1 vote
                                        #25.2 - Wed May 16, 2012 9:26 AM EDT

                                        So if President Nixon, or Kennedy, or Bush, or Obama bomb Afghanistan and end up killing innocent people in the process, and they come over here and round up women, kids, and men, and separate out the men and boys and shoot them and bury them in mass graves, it's OK.?

                                          #25.4 - Wed May 16, 2012 12:54 PM EDT
                                          Reply

                                          This is proof that evil has the face of a "human being."

                                          • 4 votes
                                          Reply#26 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:28 AM EDT

                                          And if we listen to that, the muslims will continue to slaughter all Christians - then who will be left to spread your message moron?

                                          Kill or be killed!

                                          • 3 votes
                                          #26.1 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:56 AM EDT
                                          Reply

                                          There is not enough punishment for this despicable human scumbag. It is a shame that this vulture hid out for 16 years alongside his lowlife people who made him out to be a hero for the slaughter of other human beings. In my mind they are no better then he for not turning his sorry bag of useless bones in for the World to try this ruthless devil. You show no compassion you GET NONE!

                                          • 2 votes
                                          Reply#27 - Wed May 16, 2012 8:38 AM EDT
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