Former Serbian Leader Boycotts Own War Crimes Trial
Radovan Karadzic boycotted the opening day of his war crimes trial Monday and sent no lawyer to defend himself, forcing judges to abruptly adjourn the hearing. Judges then vowed that the former Bosnian Serb leader's trial would begin Tuesday with or without him.
The decision enraged survivors who had traveled by bus from Bosnia to see Karadzic finally face justice. A small group briefly refused to leave the courtroom after the adjournment and one woman threatened a hunger strike.
Karadzic stayed away from the hearing, claiming he has not had enough time to prepare. He has been in custody and working on his defense since his arrest on a Belgrade bus in July 2008. Karadzic, one of the central figures of the Balkan wars triggered by the breakup of Yugoslavia, faces two counts of genocide and nine other charges or war crimes and crimes against humanity. His trial is the most important war crimes case in the former Yugoslavia since the uncompleted trial of his mentor, Slobodan Milosevic, the former Yugoslav president who died during his trial in 2006.
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The decision enraged survivors who had traveled by bus from Bosnia to see Karadzic finally face justice. A small group briefly refused to leave the courtroom after the adjournment and one woman threatened a hunger strike.
Karadzic stayed away from the hearing, claiming he has not had enough time to prepare. He has been in custody and working on his defense since his arrest on a Belgrade bus in July 2008. Karadzic, one of the central figures of the Balkan wars triggered by the breakup of Yugoslavia, faces two counts of genocide and nine other charges or war crimes and crimes against humanity. His trial is the most important war crimes case in the former Yugoslavia since the uncompleted trial of his mentor, Slobodan Milosevic, the former Yugoslav president who died during his trial in 2006.