Change of judge for Karadžić trial

Hague Tribunal President Fausto Pocar has rejigged the Trial Chamber in the trial of Radovan Karadzic. Instead of Trial Chamber 1, chaired by Dutch Judge Alphonse Orie, Pocar has decided that the trial will be led by Trial Chamber 3, headed by Patrick Robinson from Jamaica. Change of judge for Karadzic trial The two other members of that Trial Chamber are the UK’s Ian Bonomy and Jean-Claude Antonetti. Karadzic asked for Orie to be excluded this week, claiming that he was biased. However, according to the statement regarding the change of Trial Chamber, it is added that the Hague Tribunal president did not take the former Bosnian Serb leader’s request into account when making the decision. Pocar stated that prior to Karadzic’s arrest, the Tribunal had hinted at the intention to combine the cases against him and former Yugoslav Army Chief of Staff Momcilo Perisic, who is accused, among other things, of the artillery attack on Sarajevo between 1992 and 1995, as is Karadzic. Because Perisic’s trial was delegated to Orie, after the former Bosnian Serb leader was arrested, his case was also given to the same Trial Chamber, the Hague Tribunal president states. In the meantime, prosecutors have decided against combining the two defendants’ cases, and Pocar decided today to allocate Karadzic’s trial to a new Trial Chamber. Karadzic was accused of genocide and other crimes against non-Serbs during the war in Bosnia-Hercegovina between 1992 and 1995. He was arrested by the Serbian authorities at the end of July and extradited to The Hague. In his first appearance before the court, he deferred entry of his plea, and will appear in court again on August 29. Radovan Karadzic during his first court appearance (B92, archive) Karadzic-Krajisnik meeting authorized The Hague Appeals Chamber has approved Momcilo Krajisnik’s motion to meet with Radovan Karadzic in the court prison. Krajisnik wants to talk to the recently arrested former Bosnian Serb leader about the possibility of him being called as a witness in his appeal. The Chamber, presided by Tribunal President Fausto Pocar, ruled that the Secretariat should enable the meeting between the former Republic of Srpska (RS) president and Karadzic at the Tribunal’s prison unit in Scheveningen, the court announced. The Chamber gave Krajisnik until September 15 days to decide whether he would call Karadzic as a witness in the appeals process. The former RS speaker was sentenced to 27 years in prison for persecution and other crimes against the non-Serb population during the Bosnia-Herzegovina war, though he was acquitted of charges of genocide. Krajisnik has appealed the verdict and has decided to represent himself in the appeals procedure. On August 15, he sent a motion to the Appeals Chamber asking for permission to meet with Karadzic to decide “for sure whether I want to call him as a witness.”

Change of judge for Karadžić trial

The two other members of that Trial Chamber are the UK’s Ian Bonomy and Jean-Claude Antonetti. Karadžić asked for Orie to be excluded this week, claiming that he was biased.

However, according to the statement regarding the change of Trial Chamber, it is added that the Hague Tribunal president did not take the former Bosnian Serb leader’s request into account when making the decision.

Pocar stated that prior to Karadžić’s arrest, the Tribunal had hinted at the intention to combine the cases against him and former Yugoslav Army Chief of Staff Momčilo Perišić, who is accused, among other things, of the artillery attack on Sarajevo between 1992 and 1995, as is Karadžić.

Because Perišić’s trial was delegated to Orie, after the former Bosnian Serb leader was arrested, his case was also given to the same Trial Chamber, the Hague Tribunal president states.

In the meantime, prosecutors have decided against combining the two defendants’ cases, and Pocar decided today to allocate Karadžić’s trial to a new Trial Chamber.

Karadžić was accused of genocide and other crimes against non-Serbs during the war in Bosnia-Hercegovina between 1992 and 1995. He was arrested by the Serbian authorities at the end of July and extradited to The Hague. In his first appearance before the court, he deferred entry of his plea, and will appear in court again on August 29.

Karadžić-Krajišnik meeting authorized

The Hague Appeals Chamber has approved Momčilo Krajišnik’s motion to meet with Radovan Karadžić in the court prison.

Krajišnik wants to talk to the recently arrested former Bosnian Serb leader about the possibility of him being called as a witness in his appeal.

The Chamber, presided by Tribunal President Fausto Pocar, ruled that the Secretariat should enable the meeting between the former Republic of Srpska (RS) president and Karadžić at the Tribunal’s prison unit in Scheveningen, the court announced.

The Chamber gave Krajišnik until September 15 days to decide whether he would call Karadžić as a witness in the appeals process.

The former RS speaker was sentenced to 27 years in prison for persecution and other crimes against the non-Serb population during the Bosnia-Herzegovina war, though he was acquitted of charges of genocide.

Krajišnik has appealed the verdict and has decided to represent himself in the appeals procedure.

On August 15, he sent a motion to the Appeals Chamber asking for permission to meet with Karadžić to decide “for sure whether I want to call him as a witness.”