Karadzic shuns trial again
Updated on 26 October 2009
The former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has boycotted the second day of his war crimes trial. Lindsey Hilsum reports.
One of his legal advisors, Marko Sladojevic, insists Karadzic has not been given enough time to prepare his defence.
Sladojevic said: "I think it would be legal suicide if he takes part now."
In the absence of Karadzic, 64, prosecutor Alan Tieger spent the first 12 minutes of his opening statements describing how the "Supreme Commander" orchestrated ethnic cleansing campaigns to eradicate Muslims from Bosnia, including the 43-month siege of Sarajevo.
He said: "This case, your honours, is about that Supreme Commander. A man who harnessed the forces of nationalism, hatred and fear to implement his vision of an ethnically separated Bosnia -- Radovan Karadzic."
Karadzic was not in court to hear the opening statement, his seat empty as he made good on a threat to boycott proceedings because he needs more to prepare for trial.
Judge O-Gon Kwon issued yet another warning to Karadzic to appear in the courtroom or risk having counsel assigned to him and being tried in absentia.
Before the prosecution's remarks, the judge said: "Should the accused persist in his refusal to attend the trial, the trial will proceed in his absence, and counsel will be assigned."
He announced the court will make its decision after the prosecution's opening remarks end next Monday.
Karadzic is charged with two counts of genocide and nine more of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
He is accused of being behind the massacre of more than 7,000 Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica and the siege of Sarajevo, in which 12,000 civilians died, failed to turn up at his trial on genocide and war crimes charges.
The author of The Quest for Radovan Karadzic, Nick Hawton, joined Jon Snow.
