Tolimir again refuses to enter plea on war crimes charges

Former Bosnian Serb commander General Zdravko Tolimir, considered the third most important war crimes suspect after Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, refused again on Tuesday (July 3rd) to enter a plea on war crimes charges before The Hague tribunal judges. Following the rules of procedure, the judges entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf. Tolimir, charged with genocide in connection with the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, complained that he was prevented from hiring his lawyer of choice. The court ruled he should choose someone else as legal counsel, as the lawyer in question was already representing other defendants in a different trial.Tolimir also asked for an investigation into his arrest. He says Serbian security officials had taken him illegally to the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina and dumped him into the hands of Bosnian police.