Mladiću moj, problem je tvoj

The daily paper Danas is reporting today that the hiding place of Ratko Mladić, under indictment since 1995, is known to the government, to ICTY, and to journalists who are declining to release it beyond saying that it is «a large city in the interior of Serbia.» That his hiding place is known to people in power will probably not come as much of a surprise, but the news is coming out after a period of publicity surrounding new evidence, which many people are interpreting as preparation for Mladić's quick arrest. Authorities are denying the report, with Rasim Ljajić, head of the national council for cooperation with the Hague, observing that «the impression is created that we know where Mladic is, that we have known all along, but do not want to extradite him.» You don't say.

Thanks to loyal reader FB for pointing me to the BBC report by Matt Prodger which quotes an unnamed journalist making what will probably be a reliable prediction: «If Mladic were arrested tomorrow, there would be a huge outpouring of national outrage - from a handful of people.» For more perspective, have a look at the June issue of Republika, which has several articles on the subject (with thanks to Filaloganoga for the reference in the comments to an earlier post).