THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic wants U.N. war crimes prosecutors to turn over any evidence they have about an alleged deal he cut to avoid prosecution, saying he wants to use it in a motion to have his indictment dismissed.
In a motion released Monday, Karadzic asks the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal to order prosecutors to turn over any material they have about a deal he claims he made with U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke in July 1996.
Karadzic said in the motion that the deal promised he would not face prosecution if he "agreed to withdraw completely from public life."
He claims the deal is relevant to his case because Holbrooke made it on behalf of the U.N. Security Council — the body that established the tribunal. Holbrooke has repeatedly denied making such a deal with Karadzic.
Prosecutors did not immediately file a response to the motion.
Karadzic faces charges including two counts of genocide for allegedly masterminding atrocities by Bosnian Serb forces during the 1992-95 Bosnian war including the 1995 massacre of 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica and the deadly siege of Sarajevo.
If he is convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Karadzic was arrested in Belgrade in July after 13 years on the run from international justice. His former military chief, Gen. Ratko Mladic, is still on the run. |