Karadzic’s alter ego

More on the prospects for mad psychiatrist Radovan Karadzic.

The July 30 extradition of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic to the Netherlands, following his July 21 arrest, put an end to many years of efforts to bring one of the world’s most wanted fugitives to justice. After 12 years on the loose, Karadzic will face charges of genocide and crimes against humanity, committed during the 1992/95 war in Bosnia, before the United Nations war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.

Many people remain shocked that the one time president of Republika Srpska, allegedly responsible for carrying out massive ethnic cleansing during the Bosnian war, was living a normal life in Belgrade, just like any ordinary citizen. Those more familiar with his numerous transformations, however, were not as surprised.

A graduate psychiatrist, poet and politician, Karadzic was captured spending his days practising alternative medicine, giving lectures, contributing to a health magazine and even running his very own website. Pretty bold, many would say, but, on second thought, these proved to be quite successful tactics because media reported a number of people who have known and been in touch with “Dr Dragan Dabic” are utterly stupefied after finding out who he really was.

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In spite of being officially married to psychiatrist Ljiljana Zelen-Karadzic, with whom he has two children, Sasa and Sonja, Karadzic was reported to have a girlfriend, Mila, during the time he spent as Dr Dabic. She often accompanied him to his lectures and was introduced, by Karadzic, as his associate, media reports claim.

Zoran Pavlovic, the software engineer who worked on Dabic’s website, told the AP Karadzic had a framed photograph of four boys in his two-room apartment in the suburb of New Belgrade, who he claimed to be his grandsons living in the US. Karadzic said he had lived in New York, where he had earned his diploma. “He told me he travelled often to America and I had no reason to disbelieve him,” the software expert told the AP.

Karadzic did not miss out on social life either, as reports say he frequently visited the Madhouse bar in his neighbourhood. There, he enjoyed drinking red wine and listening to the traditional gusle, which he occasionally got to play himself. On its walls, the small pub had pictures of him and his one time close associate Ratko Mladic, the chief of staff of the Bosnian Serb army during the Bosnian war and the next top wanted fugitive on the list of The Hague tribunal.

As the days of healer Dabic are now over, Karadzic has removed the long beard and hair hiding his face. He has also announced he would defend himself at the tribunal. However, how could any defense rebut the charges, as the war in Bosnia saw the worst atrocities in Europe since the end of World War Two?