Karadzic: Victims Motion Rejected
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Judge Theodor Meron rejected the motion, which was signed by US attorney Aaron Marcu on behalf of the Association of Witnesses and Genocide Survivors and supported by over 200 individuals and associations from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region.
In their motion the representatives of victims have asked the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY to let them oppose the Trial Chambers decision to acquit Karadzic of genocide in Prijedor, Kljuc, Zvornik, Sanski Most, Bratunac, Foca and Vlasenica in 1992.
The ICTY President points out in his decision that appellate procedures mainly serve for the solving of legal issues and that, even if the motion has been approved, the victims representative would not be able to present evidence.
Although the victims of Karadzics alleged crimes may have a valuable human and historical perspective to offer and have a special interest in seeing that history accurately records their suffering, the proposed appeal by victims representatives, which would pertain to application of the law to the facts of the case and the allegedly wrong conclusion by the Trial Chamber, would not be helpful, Meron said.
Following the presentation of evidence by the Hague Prosecution, which lasted two years, the ICTY Trial Chamber acquitted Karadzic of charges of genocide in seven Bosnian municipalities in June.
Under the same decision, the Hague Tribunal determined that sufficient evidence was presented against Karadzic regarding the other counts contained in the indictment.
The Hague Prosecution appealed the decision.
Representatives of the Association filed a motion on August 31 this year, requesting the Tribunal to allow them to appeal the decision, saying that in this case it cannot be said that evidence is lacking that Karadzic is responsible for genocide in seven municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Karadzic, former President of Republika Srpska, RS and supreme Commander of RS armed forces, is indicted for genocide, crimes against humanity and violation of the laws and customs of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the period from 1992 to 1995.
D.D.
