War criminals are war criminals only when they are convicted of war crimes.

Until then they are ‘war crimes indictees’, ‘people suspected/charged with war crimes’ or some such neutral phrase.

Why?

Because it is true.

And because it is unwise to give such people any excuse to claim that they have been ‘condemned in advance’ and so can not get a fair trial even at an International Tribunal.

So here we quickly see Radovan Karadzic insisting that he can not expect a fair trial because the sustained Balkan and international media witch-hunts against him.

He would say that, wouldn’t he?

Yes. But let’s not pass him high calibre ammo to make it sound more credible.

Even then, it is one thing media pundits or his political enemies claiming that Karadzic is a war criminal. The court can loftily tune out from such background noise.

Much worse when a Minister from a European government which has actively supported ICTY says in so many words on a Government website that Karadzic "has blood on his hands …  He organised the murder of thousands of innocent people in a vile campaign of ethnic cleansing."

Luckily his Boss got it right.