First Day Of Karadzic Trial Ends

View of empty seats where Radovan Karadzic's defense team was supposed to sit at start of trial at War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, 26 Oct 2009 Making good on his threat, former Serb leader Radovan Karadzic failedto appear in court for the opening of his trial on 11 counts of crimesagainst humanity and genocide, adjourning the proceedings in a mere 20minutes.  

Radovan Karadzic's failure to show up angered bothjudges and prosecutors. Prosecutor Hildegard Uertz-Retzlaff accusedKaradzic of manipulating the court, now that he has exhausted all thelegal avenues to grant the extension he wants to prepare his case.

"Healso says, as soon as I am prepared, I will be happy to inform thetrial chamber and OTP a few weeks inadvance. In other words, the trial can only start if the accused saysit should," the prosecutor said.

She told judges they have twochoices: either assign Karadzic a lawyer or let him continue toobstruct the proceedings. Judges said they will reconvene Tuesday totry and start the trial again and urged Karadzic to attend. But hislegal advisors in Belgrade say he will not attend Tuesday's hearingsuntil he is granted his several-month extension.

Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic is seen in the courtroom to enter pleas to 11 charges including genocide and crimes against humanity, in the Hague, Netherlands (File)
Even if hedoes not appear, judges could let prosecutors make their openingstatement. But, if the judges decide to impose counsel on Karadzic andtake away his plan to defend himself, there would likely be a delay inpresenting evidence until a new lawyer had time to get up to speed.Karazdic says he will not accept a court appointed lawyer.

Meanwhile,dozens of war survivors who had come to witness the start of the trialwere disappointed at its quick conclusion. Kada Hotic is with theMovement of Mothers from Srerbrenica, where the 1995 massacre of some8,000 Muslim men and boys took place. Speaking through an interpreter,she says she is shocked, furious and disappointed at the morning'sevents.
 
"Do they realize people are waiting for justice?" Hotic asked. "This is our last and only hope to see a bit of justice."

Thepresiding judge read from a letter Karadzic sent to the trial chamber,last week. In it, he says he would never boycott his trial, that theremust be a fair solution. The judge promised there would be one. But,he says, for that to happen, Karadzic must first appear in court.