Krajisnik Submits Witness Wish List

(TU No 439, 10-Feb-06)

Krajisnik Submits Witness Wish List

(TU No 439, 10-Feb-06)

Friday, 10 February, 2006
IWPR

IWPR

Institute for War & Peace Reporting

They estimate that the evidence - intended to fend off charges of ethnic cleansing during the war in Bosnia - would take around 600 hours of court time to hear, which might require the defence case to last for almost another year.



Those on the wish list include former Bosnian Serb president Radovan Karadzic, who has been on the run since being indicted by the tribunal in 1995. Krajisnik would like to devote 50 hours to his testimony.



He also wants to spend 20 hours questioning former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, who is currently busy three days per week with his own trial before the tribunal.



Also on the list are high profile political figures such as the former representative of the United Nations secretary general, Thornvald Stoltenberg, and Jose Cutileiro, who attempted to broker a peace deal in Bosnia on behalf of the European Community.



But the lion's share of the proposed defence case - 175 hours - is reserved for testimony by Krajisnik himself.



Perhaps the most surprising inclusion on the wish list, however, is Bosnian Serb politician Biljana Plavsic, said by prosecutors to have been one of Krajisnik’s partners in crime. Plavsic pleaded guilty to crimes against humanity in 2002 and is currently serving an 11-year sentence in Sweden.



Judge Alphonse Orie responded to the defence list with an order requiring the lawyers to prioritise their request by February 15.

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