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The decision on his appointment states that representatives of the Registrar’s Office met Karadzic in order for him “to express his preference concerning the list of attorneys made by the Registrar”.
“Although the indictee asked the Registrar to let him have an opportunity to meet the attorneys whose names are included in the list, in order for him to be able to say which of them he prefers, (…) after he had met them, the indictee did not say what his preference would be,” the Registrar’s decision says.
The Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY, rendered a decision, on November 5, ordering the appointment of a Defence attorney who would represent Karadzic and granting the appointed attorney three and a half months to prepare for the trial.
The decision was made because the indictee failed to appear at the hearings at which the Hague Prosecution presented its introductory arguments. The Tribunal ruled this to be “a substantial and persistent” disturbance of the trial.
As per the Tribunal’s decision, Karadzic will still have the right to represent himself before the Tribunal when the trial continues, on March 1, 2010. However, this right will be revoked if he continues to refuse to attend the trial or interrupt it in any way. The Trial Chamber said that the appointed defence attorney would represent him in that case.
Prior to the beginning of the trial, Karadzic called on the Tribunal to let him have additional time to prepare for his defence due to “the extreme complexity of the case and large amount of material”. However, the Tribunal rejected the request. The indictee asked the Tribunal to permit him to appeal the decision concerning the appointment of a defence attorney, claiming the decision was “deficient”.
The Hague Prosecution charges Karadzic, as former President of Republika Srpska, RS, and Supreme Commander of the RS armed forces, with, among other things, genocide, crimes against humanity and violation of the laws and customs of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995.
He was arrested in Serbia in July 2008. His trial began on October 26 this year.
Defence attorney Richard Harvey represents Lahi Brahimaj, who is charged before the Hague Tribunal, together with Ramush Haradinaj and Idriz Balaj, with a joint criminal enterprise whose aim was to remove Serb civilians from Kosovo.
The indictment alleges that Brahimaj was a member of the General Headquarters of the Kosovo Liberation Army and subordinate to Haradinaj. Haradinaj and Balaj were acquitted of all charges by a first-instance verdict. Brahimaj was sentenced to six years in prison. An appellate procedure is currently underway.
