Karadzic asks UN tribunal to replace judges in his trial

20/08/2008

THE HAGUE, The Netherlands -- Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic requested on Tuesday (August 19th) that The Hague war crimes tribunal replace the judges monitoring the preparatory stage of his trial. According to Karadzic, Presiding Judge Alphonse Orie has a "personal interest" in his trial from being involved in earlier trials. Karadzic, whom police captured in July after 11 years on the run, listed a number of cases, including that of former Republika Srpska Parliament Speaker Momcilo Krajsnik, who received what Karadzic described as a "draconian" sentence of 27 years in prison. Karadzic also requested replacement of the other judges in Orie's panel. (Reuters, Tanjug, B92 - 19/08/08)