Former Bosnian Serb leader to face war crimes court
Updated
A court in Belgrade has ordered the former Bosnian Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic, to be transferred to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.
Mr Karadzic was detained on Monday after evading capture for almost thirteen years.
The chief prosecutor at the War Crimes Tribunal described the arrest as a milestone and very important for the victims who have waited over a decade to see Radovan Karadzic face court.
The Serb leader in Bosnia during the Balkan Wars, he is currently being held in a high security prison in the Serbian capital, Belgrade.
He is known for masterminding the seige of Sarajevo, accused of being responsible for the massacre at Srebrenica, and for policies that lead to death camps, mass torture and mass rape.
The arrest of Mr Karadzic is a condition for Serbian progress towards membership of the European Union.
Serbs in Belgrade have greeted Mr Karadzic's capture with either anger - going so far as to fight police - or indifference.
Bound for court
The former leader is expected to arrive in the Hague within the next few days.
Mr Karadzic will then make a short court appearance where he will be asked to plead guilty or not guilty.
He will be held in custody in a purpose-built unit inside a Dutch jail, the same facility where the former Serb president Slobodan Milosevic was held and died during his five year genocide trial.
Radovan Karadzic's trial could also last for several years, and prosecutors say the trial could start in about six months.
