Karadzic: Threat to Indictee’s Health

Karadzic’s trial, which began in October last year, has thus far held hearings four times a week. The indictee stressed that the current pace should be continued in order to ensure “a fair trial”.

“Karadzic calls on the Trial Chamber not to accept the proposed schedule by which hearings would be held five days a week. Such a pace would be impractical and harmful to the indictee’s health. At the same time it would violate the indictee’s right to have sufficient time and space to prepare his defence, the equality of all parties and the right to a fair trial,” Karadzic said.

The former Republika Srpska President is on trial before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY, for genocide, crimes against humanity and violation of the laws and customs of war committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995.

The Hague Prosecution has so far examined about twenty witnesses. The examination of protected witness KDZ088 began at a closed hearing earlier this week and continued at the hearing held on September 8.

The ICTY’s Trial Chamber scheduled a status conference for October 15 this year in order to discuss the documents the indictee requested from the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As stated in the Court’s decision, the cooperation of Bosnian authorities with the Tribunal was “problematic and delayed” in this case, so a request was made for a representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to be present at the status conference.

The trial is due to continue on Friday, October 10.D.Dz.