The Hague

Karadzic appears before UN war crimes court

Article published on the 2009-11-03 Latest update 2009-11-03 17:00 TU

Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic in July
(Photo: Reuters)

Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic made his first appearance on Tuesday before a UN tribunal for his genocide trial, which he has so far boycotted. Karadzic told the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia he would attend the hearing to determine how to proceed with the trial.

"I would really be a criminal if I would accept to stand trial without being adequately prepared," Karadzic told the court from the accused dock.

Karadzic, who is conducting his own defence, says he wants more time to review a million pages of prosecution evidence and the statements of hundreds of witnesses.

He faces 11 charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the 1992-95 Bosnian war that claimed some 100,000 lives and caused 2.2 million people to flee their homes.

Karadzic, 64, has refused to leave his jail cell since the start of the trial on October 26 and 27, prompting presiding judge O-Gon Kwon to order proceedings to continue without him.

He was again not in court when the hearing resumed on Monday with the prosecutor accusing him of having sanctioned the massacre of more than 7,000 Muslim men and boys at the UN-protected Srebrenica enclave in July 1995.

Karadzic also stands charged for the 44-month siege of the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, which ended in November 1995 after some 10,000 people, many of them civilians, were killed.

Speaking to RFI, Nerma Jelacic, spokesperson for the International Criminal Court for the former Yugoslavia, said that even though Karadzic decided to avoid the trial last week, the court had proceeded without him. 

"The consequences so far have been detrimental for the accused, given the fact that he chose not to exercise his right to be present in the courtroom,” she said.

On Monday the judge warned that "should he maintain his position that he will not attend the trial we may proceed in his absence and assign counsel to represent him."

The step of imposing a lawyer on Karadzic, which he has vowed to fight, could cause a delay of several months as that person acquaints himself with the case.

Karadzic, who denies all the charges against him, could be jailed for life if convicted.