The Court in Haag rejected the request by the former President of Republika Srpska Radovan Karadžić for provisional release in order to attend the forty-day commemoration of his younger brother.
Theodor Meron, President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals – an institution established with the aim of finishing the work of the Haag Tribunal – rejected Karadžić’s requestfor provisional release by stating that conditions for one such act have not been met.
In his decision, Meron stated that in his request Karadžić expressed intention to live at the territory of Republika Srpska, and that guarantees that the accused will not flee was sent by Serbia only, not by Republika Srpska or BiH.
“The risk for approving provisional release increases in cases when a first instance verdict was reached, in comparison with the period when the trial is in progress. Karadžić has already been sentenced to 40 years in prison and that it still a lot of time left to serve his sentence, if the verdict is confirmed. Such situation represents a great incentive for escapement,” Meron stated in his decision.
In addition, Meron stated, the fact that Karadžić was in hiding for over ten years was also taken into consideration when the decision was being made.
On April 22, Karadžić also requested provisional release from the Court in Haag, until the decision is reached on the appeal which he will file on the verdict which sentenced him to 40 years in prison.
Judge Meron rejected this request for the same reasons.
On March 24, the Haag Tribunal convicted Karadžić for the genocide in Srebrenica, the persecution of Bosniaks and Croats, for terrorizing the population of Sarajevo with long-term bombing and sniper fire, and for taking UNPROFOR members as hostages.
(Source: avaz.ba/photo: novosti.rs)
