JURIST - Paper Chase: Karadzic appears before ICTY to renew request for delay

[JURIST] Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic [case materials; JURIST news archive] appeared before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) [official website] on Tuesday for the first time since his trial commenced last week to renew his plea for additional preparation time. Presiding judge O-Gon Kwon [official profile] again denied the request:

This trial chamber and the appeals chamber have carefully considered these submissions, and determined that you have had adequate preparation time. Clearly you disagree with these decisions. However, as I previously stated to you, it is the trial chamber, not an accused person, which determines readiness for trial, taking into account all the relevant circumstances, and ensuring that the trial is conducted fairly and expeditiously.

Kwon has scheduled a hearing to consider options for how to proceed [AP report] with the trial should the boycott continue, including potentially assigning defense counsel to Karadzic, who has represented himself to this point. The ICTY canceled [court schedule] proceedings set for Wednesday.

The ICTY began Karadzic’s trial in absentia last week after proceedings were temporarily adjourned when he failed to appear [JURIST reports] on Monday. Karadzic announced earlier that he planned to boycott [JURIST report] his trial because he had not been given adequate time to prepare a defense. He faces 11 charges [amended indictment, PDF], including genocide and murder, for war crimes committed during the 1992-1995 Bosnian genocide [PPU backgrounder]. In June, the ICTY said that Karadzic's trial was expected to conclude in early 2012 [JURIST report]. His trial is planned to be the tribunal's last.