Karadzic boycotts start of war crimes trial

Mon Oct 26 2009 11:28:03

Judges have halted proceedings at the start of the war crimes trial of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic after he boycotted the hearing.

He is charged with 11 counts, including genocide, over the 1992-95 Bosnian War.

The trial, stopped after only 15 minutes, will recommence on Tuesday. Karadzic, who has denied all charges, is representing himself.

The trial is the biggest The Hague has handled since that of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

Karadzic went into hiding from 1996 but was discovered living in Belgrade in July 2008 in disguise with a full thick beard.

The break-up of Yugoslavia in the 1990s saw some of the worst atrocities in Europe since World War Two as Serbs, Croats and Muslims fought for territory. More than 100,000 people were killed in warfare and through policies such as "ethnic cleansing".

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