Karadzic’s Request for New Trial Rejected

Presiding judge O-Gon Kwon rejects a motion filed by the former President of Republika Srpska, who requested that his trial began anew. The judge explained that Karadzic failed to prove that “the Prosecution’s delays have had a negative effect on the defence.”

“The Chamber has undertaken several steps in order to make sure that the indictee’s preparations for the trial would not be slowed down and that the cumulative effect of the delays in disclosing the evidence would not compromise his right to a fair trial. Therefore, the Chamber ordered several trial breaks, postponed the examination of some witnesses, ordered the Prosecution to disclose all pieces of its evidence and requested reports on disclosing those documents,” judge Kwon’s decision says.

Karadzic, who is on trial for genocide in Srebrenica and seven other municipalities, the persecution of Bosniaks and Croats throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, BiH, terror against the local population in Sarajevo and taking UNPROFOR members hostage, requested that his trial began anew, because of constant delays in disclosing evidence by The Hague Prosecution to the Defence.

The prosecutors responded by saying that Karadzic was magnifying the problem related to the delays in disclosing evidence and that his motion should therefore be rejected.

This is the second time the Trial Chamber has rejected Karadzic’s request for a new trial due to problems related to disclosure of evidence. It rendered its first such decision in September last year.

The presentation of evidence at Karadzic’s trial was completed at the beginning of this year. The presentation of closing statements is scheduled for September 29.