I was astonished when following the testimony of the former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic in front of the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague, on charges of committing crimes against humanity in Bosnia. He was just like Bashar al-Assad in the interview he gave for Addounia television channel six weeks ago!
Both men issued several denials and put forth a desperate defense. They attempted to place the blame on others, and tried to prove that they were in fact “angels on earth”.
So what exactly did Karadzic say?
The man said he was a “peace activist”, who did everything in his power to reduce the fighting. He claimed that the number of Muslim victims was highly exaggerated, and that the problem in Bosnia and Herzegovina was never a sectarian one, but rather it came down to the fact that there were some Muslim extremists who were carrying out acts of subversion against the law!
Karadzic described himself as a mild mannered man who writes poetry. He claims to have written poems for children, advocating peace! (At this point tears almost flowed from my eyes)!!
The man then attempted to demonstrate that his orientations were never sectarian or anti-Islam, saying that he loves Muslims and has no quarrel with them, and that he even had a Muslim barber!
Karadzic confirmed all this before the judges, and before the victims’ families who could hardly believe their ears when he said that he had worked to stop the conflict, and that he did not know exactly what was happening on the battle front.
In my opinion, if God’s will is not implemented with regards the Syrian President, and if he doesn’t meet his maker in one way or another, then his fate will be the same as that of Karadzic, and I think he will use the same defense logic as used by the former Bosnian Serb leader.
But I do not know how al-Assad will explain, before an international tribunal, the use of bomber aircraft, heavy field artillery and missile batteries against civilians, or even against rebels who only carry guns?
How will President Bashar explain to the world his rejection of all attempts at dialogue and a political settlement?
How will President Bashar explain his inability to prioritize the interests of the Syrian people and leave at the outbreak of the revolution with pride and dignity, thus sparing immense bloodshed and avoiding the collapse of the economy and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of innocent people?
More importantly, how will this man and his associates stand before the greatest judge in the universe on the Day of Reckoning? Will they deny and reject the facts once again?