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Ear to the Ground

Karadzic Misses First Day of Genocide Trial

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Posted on Oct 26, 2009
Karadzic
AP / Valerie Kuypers, Pool

In this 2008 photo, former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic appears in the courtroom to enter pleas to 11 charges, including genocide and crimes against humanity, at the United Nations’ Yugoslav war crimes tribunal at The Hague, Netherlands.

Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic was a no-show Monday at his own trial at The Hague, where he was scheduled to stand trial on charges of genocide against Bosnian Muslims in the mid-1990s. The proceedings were expected to continue Tuesday regardless of his participation, or lack thereof, in court.  —KA

The New York Times:

Even from his cell, Mr. Karadzic, a former psychiatrist turned extreme Serbian nationalist, managed to distress a number of the victims’ families. More than 160 people had made the 24-hour trek by bus from Bosnia to the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague, and part of the group watched through the bulletproof glass of the public gallery.

As the short session closed, many in the group shouted in anger and frustration. Munira Subasic, one of the organizers of the group, said the majority had to return to Bosnia during the night because they had no money for hotel rooms. Several women who said they had lost husbands and sons in the war said they felt betrayed by the court.

The judge, O-gon Kwon, last week wrote a private letter to Mr. Karadzic, asking him to reconsider his position not to attend. Mr. Karadzic had announced his absence in a letter to the court, after he lost his appeal requesting more preparation time.

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By the tshirt doctor, October 27, 2009 at 11:01 am #

godistwaddle, that’s called hypocrisy in action.  it’s the one thing americans are good at.

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By RAE, October 27, 2009 at 10:41 am #

How, exactly, does an accused, WHO IS IN CUSTODY, not show up for trial? What prevents the court to direct that he be brought from his cell to the courtroom?

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By James Luko, October 27, 2009 at 9:20 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Victor’s Justice.  Obviously note the absence of indictments against Former
President’s of Bosnia and Croatia, Izetbegovic and Tudjman.  Having spend 12
years on the ground during the war in the Former Yugoslavia as a UN Human
Rights coordinator and monitor, and later as the Operations Officer for the Office
of the Prosecutor for the Hague Tribunal, there is no question that Izetbegovic and
Tudjman should have been also indicted.  The prosecution on genocide charges
are a legalistic farce as well as the charges related to the shelling of Sarajevo- as
one who eyewitnessed the attacks on the Serbian surburb of Sarajevo- Grbavica
from Bosniak forces from within Sarajevo, its clear to me in the aftermath, that
Karadzic is made a victim of Victor’s Justice, might makes right.  Certainly I
believe Karadzic is guilty on charges stemming from command responsibility,
however, in that context, so were Tudjman and Izetbegovic.

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By johannes, October 27, 2009 at 7:30 am #

Its absoluut whitout sens, to take one person out of the crowd of war criminals, you make again a new shapesgoat as so many times before.

I will never forget the U.S.General who says that the Albanians- Kosovars played the NATO as a fiddel,
but the news media hat allready made out the looser and the criminals, it hat to be the Serbs and the Cristians, in the mean time the Saudi’s where building every where new Moskees.

I find it all very dubious and doubtful, if you start to think and relatively put all wath happend in context you geth an whole different picture.

And the fact that the U.S. army has the biggest base NOW in Albania, gives to think.

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By Howie Bledsoe, October 27, 2009 at 6:40 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Winners are never punished, and the Bosnians lost the war. period.

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By godistwaddle, October 27, 2009 at 6:04 am #

Karadzic stands in the dock (or will) and Bush does not.  Hehehe.  As if the U.S. EVER believed the principles it enforced at Nuremberg.

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