Accused of genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the former Bosnian Serb leader - Radovan Karadzic appeared before the Hague Tribunal yesterday.

Karadzic was alone without any legal counsel, when he appeared before the trial chamber presided over by Judge Alfons Orie in courtroom number one at 16:00 CET. It was the same courtroom where Slobodan Milosevic’s war crimes trial was held.

The former Bosnian Serb leader appeared before the court in a dark suit, clean shaven, looking much as he did during the Nineties. The indictment against Karadzic contained virtually all the crimes within the Hague Tribunal’s purview, including genocide.

Accused of genocide, involvement in genocide, murder, deportation, inhumane acts and other crimes allegedly committed against Bosniaks and Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina during the war in the former Yugoslavia republic, Karadzic informed the court that he would not enter his plea yesterday, and agreed that the next date for him to appear before the judges will be August 29. Before the indictment was read out, Karadzic said that he had “unseen advisers”, but that he had decided to defend himself.

Karadzic revealed in the court his official address in Pale, Bosnia-Hercegovina, as well as the address he had resided at during his “other identity”, at 267 Jurija Gagarina St. in New Belgrade.

When he was asked, if there was anyone that needed to be informed that he had been taken into custody at the Hague Tribunal, he laughed, and replied that he doubted there was anyone that did know where he was now. He told that there was an irregularity concerning the date of his arrest.
He told the Hague court that he was arrested and held in an unknown location for three days, without the right to have an attorney or make a phone call. Serbian authorities stated earlier that he was arrested on Monday, July 21, and that the public was notified of this the same evening.
Karadzic also wished to speak of the reason why he hid for 13 years, and mentioned a deal he had with U.S. Balkan envoy Richard Holbrooke, saying also that his life was in danger, and expressing fears that this danger “is not over”.

Karadzic represented himself during his first appearance in court, but the members of his future legal team include lawyers Goran Petronijevic and Svetozar Vujacic, who do not have work licenses for the Tribunal, while the third member, Toma Fila, who has years of experience defending Hague defendants, has said that his legal office will help too. Fila, however, said that he could not take Karadži?’s case because he had obligations towards other defendants whose trials at the Tribunal were ongoing.

Karadzic’s family members were not allowed to come and see him while he was being held in Belgrade because their passports were confiscated by the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina, precluding them from leaving the country.