Serbia yesterday vowed to track down those who helped Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic evade justice during 16 years on the run, as Mladic appealed for calm on the eve of a far-right rally.
“We will continue to pursue all those who have helped Mladic and other fugitives evade justice,” Serbian war crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic told AFP.
“By hiding Mladic they have caused serious damage to this country. Hiding fugitives from the Hague tribunal is a serious crime,” he added.
As officials said they were stepping up security ahead of a planned protest by ultra-nationalists against Mladic’s arrest today, his lawyer said Mladic was urging calm.
“He is appealing to people to calm down, there should be no bloodshed, he does not want to be a cause of unrest,” Milos Saljic told reporters.
“He appeals for there to be no riots, for everything to be peaceful,” Saljic said.
The lawyer also suggested Mladic was resigned to being transferred to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.
He was “aware he would be sent” to the UN court, Saljic said, adding: “He does not know when, but he would like to get some rest before that.”
Mladic, accused of masterminding the 1995 Srebrenica massacre and other atrocities during the 1992-95 Bosnian war, was arrested last Thursday and is set to be transferred to the ICTY this week.
His lawyer is expected to launch an appeal tomorrow against a ruling that he is fit to stand trial and be transferred to the international court, where he faces charges of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.
Mladic’s capture came amid many questions as to how Europe’s most-wanted man was able to evade his pursuers for so long.
Serbian authorities insist there was no collusion but the opposition has suggested that some in the security forces in Serbia – where many see Mladic as a war hero – were involved in protecting him.
President Boris Tadic told the BBC last Friday that authorities would leave no stone unturned in their search for those who sheltered Mladic.
“We’ll extend our investigation to see how he created a protection system or to see if it is possible that some people from the former armed forces or police were involved in the protection,” he said.
Tadic promised a “full and complete picture” of the network.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic meanwhile said security had been stepped up after the ultra-nationalist Radical Party (SRS) called for the massive protest in Belgrade today.
“The police will not use force in advance... only if there is a drastic violation of public peace and order,” Dacic told journalists.
“Security measures have been increased to a higher level,” he said, including around state buildings and embassies.
After the arrest of Bosnian Serb wartime political leader Radovan Karadzic in July 2008, thousands of ultra-nationalists violently protested in Belgrade, leaving one dead.