JUSTICE

Radovan Karadžić Sentenced to Life in Prison for Bosnian War Crimes

The former Bosnian leader was sentenced for his role in the mass killings of civilians.

The Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadžić has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in the mass killing of civilians during the Bosnian War. Five judges at a United Nations-mandated appeals court in The Hague upheld a 2016 verdict of 40-years jail time, and increased the sentence to life in prison. The judges dismissed all but one of Karadžić’s appeals as “mere disagreement” with the court’s conclusions rather than valid legal objections. The appeal court confirmed Karadžić’s guilt for his role in the worst massacre of civilians Europe had seen since the 1940s, which tore Bosnia apart a quarter century ago. A former psychiatrist and poet, Karadžić brought death camps, mass executions, and genocide back to Europe. His campaign of ethnic cleansing in Bosnia killed 8,000 people.