A survivor's story

The World
The World
KP says his memories of Karadzic go back before his time in the prisons: he said the Muslim people should disappear. (What happened in 1992?) I thought my Serb friends were not going to turn on me and I missed my opportunity to leave the country and then his threats were fulfilled. (What happened in your town?) They decided to remove all non-Serbs and they established concentration camps. I was with one of my brothers and my mother was in another camp. (How long were you in this camp the first time?) I was there for two and a half months, but time doesn't count, it could've been as many as 250 days. I never knew if I would live or not. People would be randomly called out and maybe disappear or just be beaten. (Can you describe the camps?) I was put in a locker room together with 500 other people. There wasn't enough space to see the floor. Over time there would be a little bit more space because people would disappear. It was extremely hot. We were given a single meal not even every day, something you could swallow in two bites. There was nothing in it. I learned much later, I became a friend with a cellist who wanted to enter the camp and they took pictures. But Karadzic didn't expect that kind of reaction that the international community had. But the pictures only showed so much. (What caused your release and then reentry to the second camp?) They quickly closed down this first camp after the pictures got out. So I was transferred to the second camp, which was also degrading. (What does the arrest of Karadzic mean to you?) It's not just for me, it's a bigger picture issue. I hope this will serve as a deterrent against others who want to commit similar crimes. (What does it feel like for you?) There's no elation, he should've been arrested 12 years ago.
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