Karadzic Trial Begins
The trial of Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader starts at The Hague.
14 years after he went into hiding, the former President of Serb Republic in Bosnia, Radovan Karadzic's trial on 11 charges, which include genocide, war crimes and offenses against humanity, started in the court of the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) at The Hague.
Karadzic has been accused of being the brain behind the atrocities committed on Bosnian Muslims and non-Serbs in the 1992-95 Bosnian War. This war which saw a lot of bloodshed, saw the death of almost 100,000 people. The charges against Karadzic, are in relation to several events during the war, which includes the shelling of the city of Sarajevo, when the city was surrounded by the military for almost 44 months.
A statement released by the ICTY said, "The prosecution alleges that Karadzic committed all of these crimes together with other members of a joint criminal enterprise with the aim to permanently remove Bosnian Muslim and Bosnian Croat inhabitants from the territories claimed to be a part of the so-called Serbian Republic."
Karadzic, who was the head of the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) and commander of the Bosnian Serb Army, has denied the charges against him. He has boycotted the trial saying that he needs more time to be fully prepared for his defense. Despite having no legal background whatsoever, the former leader has decided to defend himself, calling the trial by ICTY a "rush to justice".
Judge O-Gon Kwon said that the trial would recommence tomorrow, i.e, 27th Oct 2009, Tuesday, when the prosecutors are scheduled to make their opening statements. "There are also circumstances in which a chamber can assign a counsel to an accused if his self representation is obstructing the proceedings of a trial," Kwon said, noting Karadzic's absence to appear before the court.
Karadzic was arrested last year, in Belgrade, when he was caught disguised as a healer called Dr. Dragan Dabic.
The trial is expected to last for at least two years. If found guilty, Karadzic faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Karadzic has been accused of being the brain behind the atrocities committed on Bosnian Muslims and non-Serbs in the 1992-95 Bosnian War. This war which saw a lot of bloodshed, saw the death of almost 100,000 people. The charges against Karadzic, are in relation to several events during the war, which includes the shelling of the city of Sarajevo, when the city was surrounded by the military for almost 44 months.
A statement released by the ICTY said, "The prosecution alleges that Karadzic committed all of these crimes together with other members of a joint criminal enterprise with the aim to permanently remove Bosnian Muslim and Bosnian Croat inhabitants from the territories claimed to be a part of the so-called Serbian Republic."
Karadzic, who was the head of the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) and commander of the Bosnian Serb Army, has denied the charges against him. He has boycotted the trial saying that he needs more time to be fully prepared for his defense. Despite having no legal background whatsoever, the former leader has decided to defend himself, calling the trial by ICTY a "rush to justice".
Judge O-Gon Kwon said that the trial would recommence tomorrow, i.e, 27th Oct 2009, Tuesday, when the prosecutors are scheduled to make their opening statements. "There are also circumstances in which a chamber can assign a counsel to an accused if his self representation is obstructing the proceedings of a trial," Kwon said, noting Karadzic's absence to appear before the court.
Karadzic was arrested last year, in Belgrade, when he was caught disguised as a healer called Dr. Dragan Dabic.
The trial is expected to last for at least two years. If found guilty, Karadzic faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
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