Karadzic declines to enter plea at war-crimes tribunal
Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic appears at war-crimes tribunal in The Hague (BBC)
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Thursday, 31, Jul 2008 08:05
Former Bosnian-Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has refused to enter a plea at the United Nations (UN) war-crimes tribunal in The Hague.
Mr Karadzic told the court he needed more time to study his indictment.
The 63-year-old now has 30 days to enter a plea, with his next appearance after today scheduled for Friday August 29th.
Mr Karadzic announced to the court that he would represent himself as he heard the charges being brought against him.
The former Bosnian-Serb leader confirmed personal information to the tribunal, including his family address and the address at which he was staying in Belgrade "under my other identity".
In marked difference to his appearance when he was arrested last week, the former politician appeared cleanly shaven and wearing a suit and tie.
He had previously stated that he would represent himself during his trial and joked today that he had "an invisible adviser" before confirming that he had waived his right to legal representation.
Asked if he had any issues he would like to raise, the 63-year-old claimed there were numerous irregularities with the way he had been arrested and brought to the tribunal.
Mr Karadzic added that a "fair and free trial" was "impossible", claiming his rights had been denied.
He tried to read out a four-page speech that included details of an alleged deal he made with former US ambassador to the UN Richard Holbrooke to withdraw from political life.
He said that he has wanted to appear before the war-crime tribunal when he was first indicted in 1996 but feared he was "liquidated" if he did so.
Mr Karadzic was flown from Belgrade to the Netherlands on Wednesday morning and is being held at a UN detention centre.
He has been indicted for genocide and war crimes over his role in the war in Bosnia.
Mr Karadzic is suspected of being directly involved in the killing of 8,000 Muslim Bosnians in the town of Srebrenica in 1995 and will also be examined over his role in other events during the war such as the siege of Sarajevo.
The judge today said he was to be charged with individual responsibility in the crimes.
He was arrested in Belgrade last week after more than a decade on the run during which time he posed as an expert in 'human quantum energy'.
Mr Karadzic's former military commander, Ratko Mladic, is also wanted by the United Nations court, but remains at large.