Karadzic: Complaint about Defence Time Filed
This post is also available in: Bosnian
Karadzic said that the mentioned decision did not let him have enough time to try to deny 2,300 facts determined at other trials held before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY.
In his motion Karadzic said that the Trial Chamber made a mistake by allocating 300 hours for his defence due to the fact that he had spent 700 hours cross-examining witnesses during the presentation of Prosecutions evidence.
This is a wrong reasoning, as you are comparing apples and oranges. The Prosecution has conducted the most part of its evidence presentation by including written statements by witnesses. Therefore, the duration of direct examinations does not speak about the volume of testimonies admitted in the case file. Statements may be five or 1,200 pages long, but direct examinations will last for the same period of time, Karadzic said.
Karadzic also said that during the time allocated for his defence he would not be able to present a comprehensive defence from the bottom to the top.
As a supreme Commander of the Army and civilian leader of police, Karadzic does not have the luxury to transfer guilt to other people, but he has to try to deny every single count contained in the indictment, the complaint says.
Originally Karadzic requested the Tribunal to let him have 300 working hours for his defence and an additional 300 hours for denying the facts previously determined at other trials, which have been admitted as evidence against him. However, the Trial Chamber approved 300 working hours for Karadzics Defence, which is the same amount of hours spent by the Hague Prosecution.
The Hague Prosecution spent approximately 300 working hours, during which it invited 196 witnesses to testify in the courtroom, for the presentation of its evidence, which lasted from April 2010 to May this year.
The presentation of evidence by the Defence of Karadzic, who is charged with genocide, crimes against humanity and violation of the laws and customs of war, is due to begin on October 16 this year.
R.M.
