Eurasia Press & News
Sarajevo – A new proposed indictment against wartime Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has been discussed at a status conference held at The Hague war crimes tribunal.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY, at The Hague is to Karadzic 15 days, stating from the day when he receives all the documents, to write his reply to the new proposed indictment.
Prosecutor Alan Tiger informed the Court that Karadzic has received most of the indictment-related documents, and the rest will be given to him by the end of this week. He also said that there is no document that will be unknown to the indictee.
The Hague prosecution submitted the new indictment against Karadzic on September 23, but he received the translation only on October 27.
Only after the court confirms the new indictment will Karadzic be able to plea. The court does not have any kind of deadline but after they confirm the indictment, the indictee has two weeks to enter a plea.
During the status conference, Karadzic said that he still does not have his team of advisors.
“I have only one adviser for now but I hope that my team will be completed soon. According to this, I have to say that I am not ready for this conference,” said Karadzic adding that he is afraid that “with this fast tempo he is being put in even more unequal position”.
“I am shocked that you are talking about speed. I expected you will be unsatisfied with the slow pace. It is three months since we met and we have not achieved much. Your choice is to defend your self and that requires certain consequences,” said judge Iain Bonomy.
The judge decided to hold a new status conference “approximately on January 20.”
Radovan Karadzic was arrested in July this year in Belgrade after 13 years of hiding using a false identity. The Prosecution at The Hague considers him guilty of genocide, expulsions, deportation, and inhumane acts toward civilians when he headed the wartime Bosnian Serb republic during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
