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ICTY dismisses Karadzic 'immunity' appeal

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The appeals chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on Monday dismissed the appeal of former Bosnian Serb leader and war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic, in which he asserted that he is immune from prosecution. Karadzic alleged that US ambassador to the UN Richard Holbrooke promised him in 1996 that he would not be prosecuted by the UN court if he gave up power. This decision upholds the December decision of the trial chamber, which held that there was no valid immunity deal between Karadzic and Holbrooke and that even if such an agreement had existed, it would not be valid under international law. Holbrooke has denied Karadzic's allegations and prosecutors have found no documents that verify any such deal existed. Last month, Karadzic for a second time refused to enter pleas to 11 amended charges including genocide, murder, persecution, deportation, and "other inhumane acts," for war crimes allegedly committed during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war, including the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. Karadzic was originally indicted by the ICTY in 1995, but had been in hiding under an assumed identity until his arrest last year.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on April 07, 2009 (boomark / email).