Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic must stand trial on two counts of genocide, appeals judges at a war crimes court in The Hague said on Thursday, reinstating one count that had been struck down, Reuters reports.
The ruling means Karadzic must now face charges of masterminding the genocide of Bosnian Croats and Muslims across the territory of multi-ethnic Bosnia during a 1992-1995 war that cost 100,000 lives, in addition to a charge related to the Srebrenica massacre.
Judges found that there was enough evidence to suggest Karadzic – who was arrested on a Belgrade bus in 2008 after 11 years on the run – might have had “genocidal intent” with respect to crimes committed in Bosnia, meaning a full trial of the facts was warranted.
“The Appeals Chamber observes that the record includes evidence of genocidal and other culpable acts committed against Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats,” said Theodor Meron, president of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
The genocide charge relating to the massacre of 8,000 Muslims near the town of Srebrenica, Europe’s worst massacre since World War Two, still stands.
