'I stand here before you not to defend the mere mortal that I am, but to defend the greatness of a small nation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which for 500 years has had to suffer and has demonstrated a great deal of modesty and perseverance to survive in freedom.'
Radovan Karadzic, Bosnian Serb leader during the Bosnian War 1992-1995, at the opening statements of his trial in The Hague
Background
Karadzic is accused of war crimes. That means he might have broken the rules of war.
People say he was the man behind the killing of unarmed civilians. This was during the Bosnian War (1992 - 1995). During that war, several groups were fighting each other. Other countries were also involved.
When Karadzic says 'mere mortal', he means he is just a man. He says his country struggled quietly for its freedom.