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ICTY hears opening statements in Karadzic war crimes trial

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic appeared before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on Monday to defend himself against charges related to war crimes allegedly committed during the 1992-1995 Bosnian conflict. Karadzic began his opening statement by denying any plan to expel Muslims from Serbia, and by blaming Muslims and Western countries for triggering the Bosnian civil war. Karadzic is defending himself against 11 counts including genocide and murder, after initially threatening to boycott the trial and having standby counsel appointed by the ICTY. He is scheduled to continue with his opening statements on Tuesday, with the prosecution set to call its first witness on Wednesday. He faces a sentence of life in prison if convicted. The resumption of Karadzic's trial comes after a series appeals by the defense, which have been viewed as a way for Karadzic to delay the legal process. Last month, Karadzic appeared before the ICTY seeking access to documents he claimed showed evidence of weapons smuggling to Bosnian Muslims. Also last month, the ICTY dismissed Karadzic's appeal against the imposition of his court-appointed lawyer. In December, the Trial Chamber rejected Karadzic's motion challenging the legitimacy of the court. The ICTY began Karadzic's trial in absentia in October after Karadzic failed to appear in court. The ICTY has also repeatedly rejected Karadzic's argument that he should be immune from trial based on an alleged agreement with former UN ambassador Richard Holbrooke. In June, the ICTY said that Karadzic's trial, scheduled to be the tribunal's last, is expected to conclude in early 2012.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on March 01, 2010 (boomark / email).