HAGUE TRIBUNAL REINSTATES GENOCIDE CHARGE AGAINST BOSNIAN SERB BRDJANIN

THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, March 23 (Hina) - The Hague war crimes tribunal's Appeals Chamber has quashed the acquittal of Bosnian Serb Radoslav Brdjanin of genocide and reinstated this count in the indictment against him, the tribunal reported this week.#L# The Appeals Chamber okayed the Prosecution's appeal and decided to quash the Trial Chamber's ruling to acquit Brdjanin of genocide committed as part of a joint criminal enterprise and to reinstate the count. Judge Mohamed Shahabuddeen appended a separate opinion to the Appeals Chamber decision. The 12-count indictment charges the 56-year-old Brdjanin with genocide, aiding and abetting in genocide, crimes against humanity, violations of the laws and customs of war, and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions. He was arrested by the NATO-led Stabilisation Force on 6 July 1999. He pleaded not guilty in his first appearance before the tribunal on 12 July that year. The trial of Brdjanin and Momir Talic began on 23 January 2002. The Trial Chamber decided to drop the genocide charge on 28 November 2003. Talic was released provisionally for health reasons on 20 September 2002. He died in Belgrade on 28 May 2003. (Hina) ha