Mladic has blood of thousands on his hands; he must be tried

Before he was put on a plane in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, headed for The Hague, Netherlands, to face charges of genocide and crimes against humanity, former Serb Gen. Ratko Mladic visited the grave of his daughter, Ana, who committed suicide in 1994 at age 23. It is to be hoped that the man accused of overseeing the slaughter of thousands of Muslims during the 1992-95 Bosnian war had an awakening of the soul. His daughter did not leave a suicide note, but media reports at the time say she ended her life with her father’s gun in the family home because of depression caused by his role in the war.

At the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Mladic will have to answer for the crimes committed by his Serb troops, including the notorious Srebrenica massacre that left 8.000 men and boys dead. It was the worst atrocity against civilians in Europe since World War II. He also is accused of war crimes in connection with the siege of Sarajevo, which was shelled and fired on for nearly four years. The death toll reached 10,000.

Like other cowardly murderers, he tried to avoid being sent to the Netherlands by claiming that he was too ill to travel and stand trial. Fortunately, judges rejected an appeal seeking to stop his extradition. He was flown out Tuesday.

The victims of the ethnic cleansing and their families deserve no less than the most aggressive prosecution. They have waited 16 years, during which time Mladic avoided capture. There were persistent reports over the years that he was being protected by the authorities in Serbia. Indeed, his arrest last week at a family home 50 miles from Belgrade seemed to confirm the reports.

Even though he was frail and disheveled, he was in control of his faculties, as evidenced by his demand that he be permitted to visit his daughter’s grave before he boarded the plane for The Hague.

In 2006. the most ruthless commander of the Balkan wars of the 1990s was found and authorities were negotiating his surrender. However, he was not brought to justice. Why?

Arrest delayed

There were reports that Serbian authorities delayed his arrest so they could lay the ground work for their country’s membership in the European Union. The EU made Mladic’s arrest a key condition for membership. Now, Serbian officials say it’s time the EU lives up to its pledge.

Before an decision is made, however, there should be an independent inquiry as to how this ruthless killer could have lived under the noses of the authorities without being detected. Why is that important? Because the international community must deliver a clear message to the blood thirsty military and political leaders of the world that they will be called to account for their crimes against humanity.

Given what is going on in the Middle East, the United Nations must establish a code of conduct that says, “We will not let you shed the blood of the innocent.”

It is appropriate that Mladic joins his former boss, Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic, who was arrested three years ago and is already standing trial on similar charges.

It is a sad commentary that many Serbians still view Mladic as a hero and, in fact, denounced his arrest last week in protests attended by thousands.

On Friday, during a preliminary hearing. Mladic refused to enter a plea, and was dismissive of the proceedings.

We trust that once the evidence is presented and witnesses are given a chance to speak, the people of Serbia will understand that innocent men, women and children perished.