JURIST - Paper Chase: Karadzic sues Serbia for 'kidnapping' alleging failure to report his arrest

[JURIST] War crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic [ICTY materials; JURIST news archive] on Wednesday sued the Serbian government for allegedly kidnapping him prior to announcing his arrest [JURIST report] last year. The former Bosnian Serb leader claims that Serbian authorities officially reported his arrest three days after [VOA report] he was actually detained, delaying his appearance before a judge. Karadzic's capture came 13 years after being indicted [text] by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) [official website] in 1995. He faces 11 charges [amended indictment, PDF] including genocide and murder for war crimes allegedly committed during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war.

Karadzic has defended himself on the grounds that he was granted immunity by former US ambassador to the UN Richard Holbrooke. Last month, the ICTY rejected the immunity claim [JURIST report] for the second time, citing irrelevance between the alleged deal and his trial. In June, the court said that Karadzic's trial would begin in late August [JURIST report] and possibly conclude in early 2012, making it the tribunal's last. Serbia has been criticized by the ICTY for its seeming reluctance to cooperate with the court, exemplified by its failure to find and capture [JURIST report] other war crimes suspects.