ICTY prosecutors to amend Karadzic indictment News
ICTY prosecutors to amend Karadzic indictment

[JURIST] Prosecutors told the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) [official website; JURIST news archive] Wednesday that they plan to revise the charges against former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic [ICTY materials; JURIST news archive] by Monday. Appearing in the war crimes tribunal's Trial Chamber, prosecutor Alan Tieger said he would seek court permission to amend an indictment [text] issued in 2000. He did not specify whether charges would be added to or removed from the 11 pending counts, which include genocide, murder, persecution, deportation and "other inhumane acts." Also at the hearing, Karadzic reiterated his desire to represent himself, as well as his claim [JURIST report] that Richard Holbrooke [PBS profile], former US ambassador to the UN, had promised him immunity conditioned upon removing himself from public life. Judge Iain Bonomy [official profile] said the court, in ruling on Karadzic's motions [JURIST report] related to that defense, would consider whether such an agreement could bind an international court. If the court approves the amended indictment, Karadzic will be asked to enter new pleas. AP has more. Reuters has additional coverage.

Also on Wednesday, Serbian media reported that Karazdic would testify [B92 report] as part of an appeal brought by Momcilo Krajisnik [ICTY backgrounder], who was sentenced [judgment, PDF; JURIST report] to 27 years in prison for crimes similar to those of which Karadzic is accused. Karadzic was arrested [JURIST report] in July after evading capture for nearly 13 years. He was originally indicted in 1995 but had been in hiding under an assumed identity as an alternative medicine practitioner [BBC report]. He is accused of involvement in the Srebrenica [JURIST news archive] massacre and other war crimes against Bosnian Muslims and Croats during ethnic conflicts in the former Yugoslavia. On Monday, former Bosnian army commander Rasim Delic was convicted [JURIST report] of cruel treatment by the ICTY Trial Chamber and sentenced to three years in prison.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Pope Urban II sparks First Crusade

Pope Urban II threw his support behind what would become the First Crusade on November 27, 1095 during the Council of Clairmont. The Pope urged the council's participants to render aid to the Byzantine Empire, which was being attacked by the Seljuks. Pope Urban called for a wide coalition of rich and poor to combat the threat, which eventually resulted in the conquest of much of the Muslim-controlled Levant by the Crusaders and the establishment of the Crusader States. Read Pope Urban's address.  

Catholic Code of Canon Law revised

On November 27, 1983, the revised Code of Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church went into effect. Learn more about the history of Canon Law from Professor Kenneth Pennington of the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law.

Alfred Nobel creates Nobel Prize in his will

On November 27, 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his will, creating the Nobel Prize. Learn more about the history of the Nobel Prize and the Nobel Commission.