http://www.b92.net/eng/news/society-article.php?yyyy=2007&mm=07&dd=03&nav_category=113&nav_id=42198
Tolimir refuses to plead, insists he was arrested in Serbia 3 July 2007 | 13:22 | Source: B92, Beta *THE HAGUE -- Zdravko Tolimir Tuesday for the second time refused to enter his plea before the Hague Tribunal. * The retired Bosnian Serb Army (VRS) general refused to enter his plea on charges that include responsibility for the Srebrenica massacre. Presiding Judge Kimberly Prost, abiding by the Tribunal rules, noted that the defendant pled innocence. Tolimir has been charged with genocide, association to commit genocide, murder, expulsion and forcible removal of Bosniaks from Srebrenica and Žepa in the period between July and November 1995. He was a war-time assistant for security and intelligence to another Hague indictee, General Ratko Mladić. “I do not want to enter legal proceedings based on unjust kidnapping and illegal extradition. I refuse to either enter my plea or state my name before the court until it launches a separate procedure to determine the circumstances of my kidnapping and extradition,” Tolimir said this morning, referring to his May 31 arrest <http://www.b92.net/eng/news/society-article.php?yyyy=2007&mm=05&dd=31&nav_category=113&nav_id=41520>, reportedly in Bosnia. Tolimir repeated he was in fact detained in Belgrade, and than illegally moved to Bratunac, Bosnia, the location mentioned in the official reports. “The public has been deceived with claims that I was arrested in the Republic of Srpska. I do not want to witness a lie taking shape of a legal truth and fact,” he told the court this morning. Tolimir represented himself, since the Tribunal’s secretariat did not officially approve the appointment of a defense lawyer he demanded. The judge went on to read counts of the indictment one by one, asking that Tolimir enters his plea, after which the former general took off his headphones. The judge called a recess and ordered the staff to put up loudspeakers via which Tolimir could still hear interpretation of the remaining counts of the indictment. Tolimir persistently refused to enter pleas on the charges. The judge then noted that the silence meant the defendant pled innocence, according to Tribunal rules.
