Top Muslim general accused of murder, rape, torture…
THE HAGUE, Netherlands-U.N. judges on Thursday refused to delay the trial of a former Bosnian army commander, after prosecutors asked for the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal case to be halted and transferred to Sarajevo.
Earlier in the day, prosecutors filed an urgent motion saying they wanted the trial of retired Gen. Rasim Delic on charges of murder, rape and cruel treatment moved because tribunal judges have limited the number of witnesses they can call.
“It is very serious,” said prosecution spokeswoman Olga Kavran. “A week before trial the judges ruled on our witness list that was submitted eight or nine months ago.”
Prosecutors originally wanted to call 91 witnesses but trimmed their list to 75. Judges have now said they can call no more than 55. Tribunal judges did not immediately react directly to the motion to transfer the case, but in a brief written ruling refused to delay the start of Delic’s trial in The Hague, which is due to start Monday, saying prosecutors have enough time and witnesses to prove their case.
“It would not be in the interests of justice to suspend the trial at the present stage of the case,” the judges’ ruling said.
Judges and prosecutors at the tribunal are coming under increasing pressure from the United Nations, which foots the multimillion dollar court bill, to finish their work quickly. The court is due to shut down in 2010.
Delic is one of the highest-ranking Bosnian Muslims to appear at the tribunal, which has indicted more than 160 suspects, the vast majority of them Serbs.
The former head of the Muslim-dominated Bosnian Army is charged with failing to prevent Bosnian troops and Islamic fighters known as mujahadeen from gunning down 24 Croat prisoners in June 1993.
Prosecutors say he also failed to punish mujahadeen fighters who in July 1995 captured a group of Bosnian Serb soldiers and beheaded two of them.
http://www.serbianna.com/news/2007/01953.shtml