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Bosnian Muslim commander arrested
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (Reuters) -- A Bosnian Muslim wartime commander who led the doomed 1995 defence of Srebrenica was arrested by peacekeeping forces and handed over to the Hague on Friday to face charges of war crimes against Bosnian Serbs. Naser Oric -- charged with responsibility for the murder and mistreatment of Serbs in custody in Srebrenica in 1992-93 -- is considered a hero by many Bosnian Muslims for spearheading the defence of the enclave. Srebrenica became a byword for mass murder after Serb forces overran the town in 1995 and massacred around 8,000 Muslim men and boys, in what is regarded as Europe's worst atrocity since World War Two. Oric was snatched by the NATO-led Bosnia Stabilisation Force (SFOR) on Thursday night and transferred to the United Nations tribunal on Friday, court officials said. He was seized in the town of Tuzla, where he had lived since he fled Srebrenica. The Hague indictment alleges that military police under Oric's command beat Serb detainees with metal bars, baseball bats and rifle butts and extracted teeth with rusty pliers. Some were beaten to death or until they were unconscious, it says. The six counts against Oric also accuse him of responsibility for burning Serb villages around Srebrenica. His arrest sparked outrage among many Bosnian Muslims, with SFOR under heavy criticism for its failure to detain wartime Bosnian Serb leaders Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, charged by the tribunal with responsibility for the Srebrenica massacre. "We are all embittered and surprised that Naser Oric was arrested while Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic are still at large,'' Srebrenica survivor Sabra Kolenovic told Reuters. "If there is an evidence of crimes committed everyone should be held accountable. But Oric has never hidden from anyone and I deeply believe he does not belong to The Hague,'' she said. "Oric remained in his town and defended its people.'' The Women of Srebrenica association condemned the peacekeeping forces. "Naser is our surviving son and by his arrest you have finally shown your real face and expressed the hatred that you feel for Muslims across the world and in Bosnia itself,'' it said. Oric once Milosevic's bodyguardOric had once been Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic's bodyguard in the old communist state, before the Bosnian war placed them on opposing sides. Oric, 36, served as the commander of the Srebrenica territorial force headquarters, later renamed the Bosnian army Second Corps' 28th Division. He was decorated in 1994 for his role in the war. NATO's Secretary-General George Robertston said in Brussels of the arrest: "I am deeply grateful to the SFOR (Stabilisation Force) soldiers and their commanders for their courage, professionalism and dedication in carrying out this operation. "This action is another step in NATO's drive to detain the remaining war crime indictees. Each fugitive sent to The Hague makes it easier to build a lasting peace in the Balkans.'' Oric is one of seven Bosnian Muslims indicted by the tribunal for war crimes. The arrest marks a milestone for the court, which has faced accusations by Serbs that it is biased against them and prosecutes more Serbs than other ethnic groups. Nura Begovic, Oric's neighbour in Srebrenica, said he was innocent. "All he did was defending his ethnic kin... Is that what he is guilty for? If so it seems that we are all guilty of staying alive and for being Muslims,'' Begovic said.
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