Learn How to Pronounce Radovan Karadžić | YouPronounce.it

How to Pronounce Radovan Karadžić

Quick Answer: In Bosnian, the name Radovan Karadžić is pronounced [râdovaːn kâradʒitɕ].
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Meaning and Context

Radovan Karadžić, a Bosnian Serb politician, poet, and former psychiatrist, emerged as a defining and deeply controversial figure of the 1990s Yugoslav Wars. As the founding president of the Republika Srpska, declared in 1992, he became the political leader of Bosnian Serb forces during the brutal Bosnian War, a conflict marked by ethnic cleansing and the Srebrenica genocide. His political agenda, centered on the creation of a unified Serb state, directly fueled campaigns of violence against Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) and Croat civilians. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) indicted him in 1995 for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. After over a decade as a fugitive, Karadžić was arrested in 2008 in Belgrade, where he had been living under an assumed identity. Following a landmark trial, he was convicted in 2016 and ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment in 2019 for genocide in Srebrenica, persecution, extermination, and other grave breaches of international humanitarian law, cementing his legacy as a key perpetrator of the worst atrocities in Europe since World War II.

Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings

The name "Radovan Karadžić" contains diacritical marks that are sometimes omitted or altered in non-Serbian contexts, leading to common misspellings. The correct spelling features a "c" with a háček (č) in "Karadžić," which is often Anglicized to "Karadzic" without the diacritic, or further misspelled as "Karadzick" or "Karadic." The first name "Radovan" is less prone to error but can occasionally be seen as "Radovon" or "Radovin." Furthermore, the letter "ž" (a voiced sibilant) in his surname is sometimes replaced with a simple "z" or incorrectly written as "sh," leading to variants like "Karadshic." When searching for information, using both the correct form "Karadžić" and the simplified "Karadzic" can yield comprehensive results, though official legal documents from the ICTY and UN institutions consistently use the proper diacritics.

Example Sentences

The prosecution at the ICTY presented overwhelming evidence that Radovan Karadžić's speeches and policies were integral to the campaign of ethnic persecution in Bosnia.

Historians often cite the siege of Sarajevo, which lasted nearly four years, as occurring under the military command of forces loyal to Karadžić's government.

In its final judgment, the Tribunal found Karadžić individually criminally responsible for the genocide of over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys at Srebrenica in July 1995.

Despite his conviction, some nationalist circles in the Republika Srpska still controversially regard Karadžić as a patriot.

The arrest of Radovan Karadžić in 2008, while posing as a alternative healer, ended one of the longest manhunts for a war crimes suspect.

Related Pronunciations

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