Radovan Karadzic in the courtroom

In the second part of today’s hearing dedicated to the closing arguments, the accused Radovan Karadzic addressed the Trial Chamber headed by the Korean judge Kwon. Karadzic has been defending himself throughout the trial. In his rejoinder,the accused responded to this morning’s rebuttal arguments presented by prosecutor Alan Tieger.

‘If the Trial Chamber carefully examines all the prosecution and defense evidence, I have no doubt that I will be acquitted’, the former Republika Srpska president said. Karadzic is charged with double genocide and other crimes against non-Serbs in BH. In Karadzic’s words, there isn't a single ‘basic document’produced by the Bosnian Serb Assembly, government and presidency, or a single order, appeal, speech or interview he made that incited the commission of the crimes against the non-Serbs in BH. As Karadzic noted, this is why the prosecution resorted to using the speeches made by 'angry members’of the National Assembly who would not watch their words. That, however, according to Karadzic, didn’t show the intent to commit crimes.

The crimes did occur, Karadzic admitted, but not as a consequence of any moves made by the Serb leadership in BH. Crimes are inevitable in a civil war, Karadzic stressed. Today Karadzic once more denied that the Serb side was responsible for some of the gravest crimes in the BH war, such as the double artillery attack on the Markale market in Sarajevo. Also, Karadzic played down the scale of the Srebrenica genocide in 1995 and his role in it. In Karadzic’s words, there was no genocide in other BH municipalities in 1992.

‘Thank God that the Bosnian Serbs did not have different leaders during the war. There were so many humanists among the leadership: writers, medical doctors, lawyers and university teachers. The war would have been even worse’, Karadzic said as today’s hearing drew to its close. Karadzic said that he had ‘a clear conscience but a heavy heart’because the war ‘is not to my liking’. The conflict in BH was horrible and ‘God willing, it will be the last war’, Karadzic concluded.

This was Radovan Karadzic’s last appearance before the Trial Chamber during the trial. From now on, pending the judgment, Karadzic will be able to communicate with the judges at status conferences, to discuss administrative issues, any health problems and the conditions of detention.

As he brought to a close the trial for four joint criminal enterprises, Judge Kwon noted that the scope of the case was definitely unprecedented. About 600 witnesses were examined in the course of the trial. The first prosecution witness was called on 13 April 2010 and the last defense witness completed his evidence on 20 February 2014. More than 11,500 exhibits were admitted into evidence. The trial transcripts comprise 48,000 pages, and there are 148,000 pages of other evidence. The presiding judge thanked both parties and all those who had made it possible for the trial to run smoothly. The Trial Chamber will now retire, Judge Kwon announced, adding that a scheduling order for the delivery of the trial judgment would be issued 'in due course'.

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