Bosnian Serb General Krstic Faces Hague Contempt Trial
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Krstic will go on trial for contempt of court on May 28 after refusing to testify before the Hague Tribunal at the war crimes trial of former Bosnian Serb president Radovan Karadzic.
On Karadzic’s request, the Tribunal subpoenaed Krstic and brought him to the courtroom on February 7, but he refused to take an oath. He claimed he could not testify for medical reasons.
The trial chamber ordered that Krstic be medically and psychiatrically examined, and the results, according to presiding judge O-gon Kwon, showed that there were no medical reasons that could prevent him from testifying.
Krstic was brought before the judges again on February 25, but reiterated that he could not testify, despite being warned that he could be charged with contempt.
If found guilty, Krstic could be sentenced to up to seven years in prison, fined up to 100,000 euro, or both.
In 2004, the Tribunal sentenced Krstic, the wartime commander of the Drina Corps of the Republika Srpska Army, to 35 years in prison for aiding and abetting the Srebrenica genocide.
Karadzic is on trial for genocide and other crimes committed during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
