Karadzic to boycott trial start
Ex-Bosnian Serb leader accused of war crimes
PARIS - Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has said he will not come to the start of his trial Monday, insisting that he needs more time to prepare for his defense. In a letter to the court, released yesterday, he said he was not ready for the “gigantic’’ case, in which he faces charges of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity for his role in Bosnia’s 1992-1995 war.
Karadzic’s move is the latest in a long battle of wills between the former political leader and the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Karadzic has filed a large number of motions and appeals, tried to get one of his judges replaced, and repeatedly asked for more time and more resources.
Just days ago, he expressed his frustrations through a lawyer when an appeals court turned down his request to delay the trial by 10 months. He said he needed the time to examine the volumes of evidence produced by the prosecution, now adding up to nearly 1 million pages.
But the judges have maintained that Karadzic has had ample time to prepare for his defense since his arrest in Belgrade in July 2008. Before that, he had lived in hiding for more than 10 years while running from the court. As for resources, the judges have said that, while Karadzic receives some money to pay for legal assistants and researchers, he is not entitled to lawyers’ fees because he has chosen to act as his own defense lawyer. A large team of unpaid volunteers is assisting him.
It was unclear what would happen next.
Nerma Jelacic, the court’s spokeswoman, said that the trial would still start Monday “as previously scheduled.’’ But Karadzic told the court in his six-page letter, “I shall not appear before you on that date.’’
Lawyers following the case said there were several options. Judges may simply postpone the case or hold a hearing to seek a compromise with Karadzic, rather than start the trial with an empty dock. The tribunal cannot hold a trial in absentia, but judges can proceed when an accused waives his right or plainly refuses to show up. They may also ask a lawyer to represent him during his absence, but Karadzic is likely to refuse this.
The tribunal is trying other high-level officials linked to the wars that broke up Yugoslavia, but the prosecution of Karadzic’s will be the most high-profile trial since former Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic died in his cell before the end of his case in 2006. Milosevic also obstructed proceedings to gain concessions or to buy time, including by abruptly calling in sick rather than face an important hostile witness.
His former security chief, Jovica Stanisic, is presently refusing to attend his own trial, saying he is too ill, and he has also declined to use the video-link set up for him at the tribunal’s detention unit.
Another Serbian political leader, Vojislav Seselj, has repeatedly refused to come to court and even went on a prolonged hunger strike until judges met several of his demands.
Karadzic faces criminal prosecution for some of the greatest atrocities of the Bosnian war, when Serbs, Croats, and Bosnian Muslims fought over territory.
While he was leader of the Bosnian Serbs, forces under his command maintained a brutal 43-month siege of the city of Sarajevo, and more than 8,000 unarmed men and boys were executed at Srebrenica.
He has said he is innocent of all charges. His letter said he would continue preparing his defense, “and as soon as I will be prepared, I will be happy to inform’’ court officials “a few weeks in advance.’’
