Radovan Karadzic was sorry that General Ratko Mladic lost his freedom, said Karadzic’s legal advisor, Peter Robinson. Karadzic also hoped that he could work together with Mladic to bring out the truth of what really happened in Bosnia.
New information about the chain of events that unfolded in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s is coming out every day, continued Robinson, so with Mladic in The Hague, new revelations can be expected. Robinson laid out the legal procedures that can now be expected for Mladic. Robinson said that first Mladic will appear before a judge and be asked to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. Then the chamber will make a decision about whether to hold a separate trial for Mladic or join his trial with that of Karadzic. After that, he or his lawyers will have to review the 2 million pages of evidence that exist on the case and start to prepare his defense.“The process here in The Hague is complicated, even in a simple trial,” remarked the legal advisor. “Radovan Karadzic has been on trial for over a year, and we have heard 70 witnesses, so it will be complicated to join these cases. They will have to start all over again.”If the two cases are joined, Robinson would not be able to defend both defendants, as it might imply a conflict of interests.“The prosecutors want to prove everything that a person ever did,” said Robertson, responding to the question of why Hague processes can take years. “Radovan Karadzic is charged with crimes for a period of four years throughout the country of Bosnia, ranging from ethnic cleansing in 20 municipalities to taking UN personnel hostage, to events in Srebrenica and shelling in Sarajevo. When you have so many events you want to prove in your case, you want to call hundreds of witnesses, which has to take time.”