EU, NATO forces raid homes of Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect’s family News
EU, NATO forces raid homes of Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect’s family

[JURIST] EU and NATO forces on Thursday raided the homes of family members of wanted Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic [BBC profile; ICTY indictment], looking for information on Karadzic's location. In a sunrise raid, the forces entered the homes of Karadzic's wife Ljiljana Zelen Karadzic, his daughter Sonja Karadzic Jovicevic and alleged aide Smiljka Popov. The forces questions all three during the raid. The EU and NATO regularly conduct raids [JURIST report] on Karadzic's family and suspected aides in an attempt to locate the fugitive.

Karadzic and fellow war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic [BBC profile; ICTY indictment] are believed to have masterminded the 1995 massacre of more than 7,000 Bosnian Muslims by government forces at Srebrenica. Many believe that Karadzic is hiding in the Serb-controlled part of Bosnia nearby Montenegro, and that Mladic is hiding in Serbia. Last month, new International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) [official website] Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz said he will do everything in his power to ensure that Mladic and Karadzic are arrested as soon as possible [JURIST report]. AFP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

38 Santee Sioux hanged by US for rebellion

On December 26, 1862, 38 Santee Sioux men were hanged in a mass execution for their roles in a rebellion against US authorities in Minnesota which left hundreds dead and made refugees of some 40,000 white settlers. Government annuities promised under a treaty with the Sioux had failed to arrive on schedule and credit for purchases was not advanced in the meantime, threatening the tribe with starvation. The Santee Sioux Tribe's members were deported first to South Dakota and ultimately to Nebraska, where they remain today. Learn more about the 1862 Minnesota Sioux Rebellion.

Louis XVI put on trial during French Revolution

On December 26, 1792, Romain de Sèze, a defense attorney for deposed King Louis XVI, presented a defense of his client. The former King was on trial before a French Revolutionary court on thirty-three charges, including treason and other crimes against the state. He was convicted on January 15, 1793 executed by guillotine on the following January 21.