Judge enters plea for Karadžić

Radovan Karadzic today at the Hague Tribunal did not enter his plea on an amended indictment against him. Judge Iain Bonomy said for the record that the trial chamber was, on behalf of Karadzic, concluding that the accused did not feel guilty on any of the 11 counts of the indictment. Judge enters plea for Karadzic Instead of entering his plea on the prosecution's accusations, the former political leader of the Bosnian Serbs said that he had a general stance on the indictment, and that today, despite other reasons, he is denying its claims "based on an agreement with the international community whose representative was Richard Holbrooke". At that point, Bonomy interrupted him and switched off his microphone. The judge addressed Karadzic to tell him that he "does not understand the purpose of today's hearing", and then proceeded to enter a not-guilty plea on behalf of the defendant. The new indictment's counts of genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina are divided into two separate periods. it also includes nine counts of alleged war crimes. The first genocide accusation relates to 1992, when, according to the prosecutor, the crimes committed had elements of genocide in 10 municipalities in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The second covers July-November 1995, in which the central event was the killing of more than 7,000 Bosniaks (Muslims) in Srebrenica. In the amended indictment, which the prosecution submitted in September 2008, Karadzic is charged as part of a so-called joint criminal enterprise, whose objective was removal of non-Serb residents from large parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Other Hague defendants also participated in that enterprise, according to the prosecution, including Biljana Plavsic and Momcilo Krajisnik, as well as Slobodan Milosevic, Jovica Stanisic, Franko Simatovic, Zeljko Raznatovic Arkan and Vojislav Seselj. The 11 counts in the indictment charge Karadzic with expulsion, extermination, murder, deportation and other crimes. Bonomy, who recently issued the first-instance verdict for crimes in Kosovo, has asked the prosecution to begin the trial as soon as possible. The prosecutor is due to submit an internal proposal for an evidence presentation procedure at Karadzic’s trial by the end of March. Radovan Karadzic (Beta, archive)

Judge enters plea for Karadžić

Instead of entering his plea on the prosecution's accusations, the former political leader of the Bosnian Serbs said that he had a general stance on the indictment, and that today, despite other reasons, he is denying its claims "based on an agreement with the international community whose representative was Richard Holbrooke".

At that point, Bonomy interrupted him and switched off his microphone. The judge addressed Karadžić to tell him that he "does not understand the purpose of today's hearing", and then proceeded to enter a not-guilty plea on behalf of the defendant.

The new indictment's counts of genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina are divided into two separate periods. it also includes nine counts of alleged war crimes.

The first genocide accusation relates to 1992, when, according to the prosecutor, the crimes committed had elements of genocide in 10 municipalities in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The second covers July-November 1995, in which the central event was the killing of more than 7,000 Bosniaks (Muslims) in Srebrenica.

In the amended indictment, which the prosecution submitted in September 2008, Karadžić is charged as part of a so-called joint criminal enterprise, whose objective was removal of non-Serb residents from large parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Other Hague defendants also participated in that enterprise, according to the prosecution, including Biljana Plavšić and Momčilo Krajišnik, as well as Slobodan Milošević, Jovica Stanišić, Franko Simatović, Željko Ražnatović Arkan and Vojislav Šešelj.

The 11 counts in the indictment charge Karadžić with expulsion, extermination, murder, deportation and other crimes.

Bonomy, who recently issued the first-instance verdict for crimes in Kosovo, has asked the prosecution to begin the trial as soon as possible.

The prosecutor is due to submit an internal proposal for an evidence presentation procedure at Karadžić’s trial by the end of March.