Karadzic: Alleged Attack Against Family

Appearing at a status conference before the pre-trial chamber of the Hague Tribunal, Radovan Karadzic said that on December 2, 2008 NATO forces searched his family’s house, acting “on a warrant issued by the Hague Court”.

Karadzic said that the search represented an attack against his family, adding that it was conducted as part of the search for two ICTY fugitives, Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic.

“During the course of the search they spoke to my wife about the two indictees’ mental health, although they had never been her patients. Due to a wrongful explanation, my Defence contacted the Office of the High Representatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which claimed not to have ordered the search. It appears that somebody did that at his own initiative. Those were Gestapo-like methods,” Karadzic said.

Radovan Karadzic’s wife Ljiljana is a psychiatrist. Since the beginning of the war in 1992 she has lived in Pale, in Eastern Sarajevo, where Karadzic’s family house is located.

Judge Iain Bonomy interrupted Karadzic saying that his discussion had nothing to do with the trial or the Tribunal. He advised Karadzic to contact the Central Office of  NATO forces in Brussels, “because the Hague Tribunal does not have competencies for making any decisions” concerning this issue at this stage.  

Speaking at the status conference Karadzic once again accused the Prosecution of “refusing to submit a transcript” of the discussion among General Wesley Clark, former RS President Biljana Plavsic and Special US Envoy for the Balkans Richard Holbrooke, who allegedly spoke about Karadzic’s immunity.

“I think that the Chamber underestimates the value of those transcripts, because they certainly do exist. They are very important because they can confirm what I am saying here. I hope the Chamber will not tolerate the loose relation towards this issue,” Karadzic said.   

The pre-trial Chamber considered the Prosecution’s motion concerning revision and amendment of the indictment against Karadzic, stating that the next status conference might be held “around February 19”. By this date Karadzic is supposed to respond to the Prosecution’s motion pertaining to the changes in the indictment.

The Hague Prosecution amended the indictment in September last year. Prior to that the indictment was last changed in 2000. It was originally filed in 1995.  

The amended indictment charges Radovan Karadzic on two counts, with genocide committed in 10 municipalities and Srebrenica, and with a joint criminal enterprise, which was not mentioned in the earlier versions of the indictment.

At the same time he is charged with other crimes committed in municipalities in the course of the war. The indictment provides a detailed description of the destruction of Sarajevo and certain detention centers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as individual murders and the demolition of religious and cultural buildings.

A date for the start of the trial was not discussed at this status conference.

Karadzic was arrested in Belgrade in July last year after having been on the run for 13 years.