Karadžić to appeal latest court ruling

Radovan Karadzic will appeal a decision by the Hague Tribunal trial chamber to turn down his earlier motion for the charges against him to be dropped. The former Bosnian Serb leader’s motion was based on his claim that he was granted immunity in 1996 in an agreement signed with U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke. Karadzic to appeal latest court ruling Karadzic is accused of genocide and crimes against humanity against non-Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1992-1995. Karadzic’s defense claims that Judge Ian Bonomy (presiding) was incorrect to state that Holbrooke, during negotiations with their client in July 1996, had not been authorized to represent the UN Security Council, this being the basis for the court’s view that Holbrooke’s pledges to Karadzic had not been binding for the Hague Tribunal. The former Bosnian Serb leader filed his motion in May. Karadzic claimed that Holbrooke, negotiating on behalf of the U.S. and UN, had guaranteed him immunity in return for Karadzic withdrawing from politics and public life during talks with Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade on July 18-19, 1996. “These questions strike at the heart of the legality of the trial and its eventual outcome. If Karadzic is right, he should not even be tried. A fast decision by the appeal court would speed up the trial and finish it, we hope,” Karadzic’s defense team stated. The former Bosnian Serb political leader was arrested on July 21, 2008 in Belgrade and extradited to the Tribunal nine days later. He refused to plead to the charges against him on the first day of proceedings, which was taken for a “not guilty” plea by the tribunal. Radovan Karadzic (Beta, archive)

Karadžić to appeal latest court ruling

Karadžić is accused of genocide and crimes against humanity against non-Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1992-1995.

Karadžić’s defense claims that Judge Ian Bonomy (presiding) was incorrect to state that Holbrooke, during negotiations with their client in July 1996, had not been authorized to represent the UN Security Council, this being the basis for the court’s view that Holbrooke’s pledges to Karadžić had not been binding for the Hague Tribunal.

The former Bosnian Serb leader filed his motion in May. Karadžić claimed that Holbrooke, negotiating on behalf of the U.S. and UN, had guaranteed him immunity in return for Karadžić withdrawing from politics and public life during talks with Slobodan Milošević in Belgrade on July 18-19, 1996.

“These questions strike at the heart of the legality of the trial and its eventual outcome. If Karadžić is right, he should not even be tried. A fast decision by the appeal court would speed up the trial and finish it, we hope,” Karadžić’s defense team stated.

The former Bosnian Serb political leader was arrested on July 21, 2008 in Belgrade and extradited to the Tribunal nine days later.

He refused to plead to the charges against him on the first day of proceedings, which was taken for a “not guilty” plea by the tribunal.