We are always happy to present views that differ from our own, in particular if they are well argued. Such is undoubtedly the case with Prof. Klinkner’s (Bournemouth University, UK) analysis of the forensic evidence and its impact on the guilty verdict in the Karadžić trial. Rather than attempting to highlight the weak points in Prof. Klinkner’s argument, for which there is no need because our entire website is an effective rebuttal to the case he makes, we prefer to practice the wise maxim of audiatur et altera pars and encourage our readers to form their own opinion.
Abstract
The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia’s Karadžić verdict, eagerly awaited, was unsurprising. He was found guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. One part of the judgment was concerned with the Srebrenica events in which much forensic evidence from mass graves featured. Whilst this was to be expected, forensic evidence from the horrific crime scenes continues to be important in determining aspects of the crime base. This paper discusses the evidence and examines how the Chamber came to the conclusion that systematic killing of thousands of Bosnian Muslim men occurred and attempts had been made to conceal the crimes and human remains in secondary graves thus confirming the actus reus of genocide. In particular, the number of people killed was at issue. Despite the absence of compelling counter-theories on behalf of the accused, this paper demonstrates that contestations over the number of those killed remain and predicts that this is unlikely to change for the ongoing Mladić case.
Karadzic’s guilty verdict and forensic evidence from Bosnia’s mass graves Sci-Justice 2016
Source: Sci Justice. 2016 Dec;56(6):498-504. doi: 10.1016/j.scijus.2016.07.003. Epub 2016 Jul 20.