Karadzic continues to boycott his trial at the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal

November 2, 11:14 AMSt. Louis Headlines ExaminerCindy Muehlbacher

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View of the empty seat where Karadzic was supposed to sit when attending the start of his trial.

AP Photo/ Peter Dejong, POOL

Radovan Karadzic again was a no-show at the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, on Monday. In a letter to the judges, he confirmed that he would attend a procedural hearing on his defense case on Tuesday.

During Karadzic's absence today, U.N. prosecutor Alan Tieger blamed the former Bosnian Serb leader for the 1995 Screbenica Massacre of 8,000 muslim men and boys, calling it "one of humanity's dark chapters."

The Srebenica massacre is considered to be Europe's worst atrocity after World War II.

The 64-year old Karadzic is charged with two counts of genocide as well as nine other crimes against humanity and war crimes related to the mass killings and other atrocities in Bosnia's war from 1992 to 1995.

Despite the undeniable evidence, Karadzic claims that he is innocent. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of imprisonment for life.

Karadzic refuses to participate in the trial, claiming that he needs up to eight more months to prepare for it, since he insists on defending himself. Although Karadzic was first indicted in 1995 and finally arrested 14 months ago, after hiding for 13 years, he insists that he did not have sufficient time to prepare his defense.

In the meantime, dozens of war survivors are outraged and frustrated about Karadzic's boycott of the war trial. Many of them are widows from Screbenica who have traveled hundreds of miles to witness the trial and finally see justice served after 13 years of Karadzic being on the run.

In a letter to the judges, the accused pledged that he would attend Tuesday's hearing to help find a solution "which will lead to not only an expeditious trial, but a fair one."

Tomorrow's trial will also reveal whether the judges will impose a defense attorney on Karadzic. However, this would most likely cause further delays in the trial, since a new lawyer would need additional time to familiarize himself with the case.

For more information about Karadzic and the 1995 Srebenica massacre, click here.