The Hague Tribunal has allowed Radovan Karadzic to appeal a decision giving him 300 working hours for his defence rather then 600 hundred hours that he originally requested.
Karadzic, wartime political leader of Bosnian Serbs, originally asked for 600 work hours for his defence, in order to challenge facts established in earlier trials which were entered into evidence against him.
However, the Trial Chamber granted Karadzic the same amount of time used by the Hague Prosecution – which is 300 hours.
The Trial Chamber, presided over by O-Gon Kwon, has granted Karadzic’s application to appeal the decision, emphasising that the decision would “significantly affect the fair and expeditious conduct of the proceedings in this case.”
“Considering that an immediate resolution by the Appeals Chamber may materially advance the proceedings as it may have an impact on the evidence that is to be presented during the defence case and is therefore in the interests of judicial economy, we hereby grant Karadzic's Application,” said Judge Kwon.
The defence of Karadzic – who is charged with genocide, crimes against humanity and violation of laws and rules of war – is due to start presenting its case on October 15.
Karadzic previously announced that he planned to call around 600 witnesses for the defence, and did not rule out the possibility of testifying on his own behalf at the end of the evidence hearing.
The presiding judge of the Trial Chamber ruled out a number of witnesses, assessing that many of proposed testimonies are redundant and thus not relevant for the case.
In June, Karadzic had attempted to have all charges against him dismissed. The Trial Chamber ruled that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence for ten out of the 11 counts of the indictment.
However, the Trial Chamber acquitted Karadzic of the charges that he committed genocide against Bosniaks and Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992, saying that the prosecutors had not proved the existence of an intention to completely or partially destroy the non-Serbian population in seven municipalities.
To the media in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the arrest of Radovan Karadzic, indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY, for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, was a true sensation, and one to be exploited day after day.
In July 1995 Srebrenica was shelled and occupied by the Army of Republic of Srpska,VRS, despite being declared a protected area by the United Nations. More than 7,000 people were killed, the victims of genocide.