[JURIST] The trial of war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic [ICTY materials; JURIST news archive] is scheduled to begin October 19, according to a press release [text] from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) [official website] Wednesday. Presiding Judge O-Gon Kwon said the trial of the former Bosnian Serb leader is likely to last between two-and-a-half to three years. Karadzic faces 11 charges [amended indictment, PDF] including genocide and murder, for war crimes allegedly committed during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war. Also on Tuesday, Kwon denied a request [AP report] from Karadzic, who is representing himself, for a 10-month delay in order to allow him to prepare his case. A pre-trial conference has been set for October 6.

Last month, Karadzic sued the Serbian government for allegedly kidnapping him prior to announcing his arrest [JURIST reports] last year. He claimed that Serbian authorities officially reported his arrest three days after he was actually detained, delaying his appearance before a judge. Karadzic's capture came 13 years after being indicted by the ICTY in 1995.