SOMEONE FROM MECHANISM TO GO AND PERSONALLY CHECK KARADŽIĆ'S REAL CONDITION

BELGRADE, APRIL 14 /SRNA/ - Lawyer Goran Petronijević has told SRNA that he hopes that the Mechanism representatives in The Hague will find the strength to go to Great Britain and personally check the actual health condition of the first president of Republika Srpska Radovan Karadžić, which is very poor, or to allow him to be examined by a commission of Belgrade and Banja Luka doctors.

Petronijević stated that the British authorities are sending false information about Karadžić's health condition and the crises he is experiencing in the Isle of Wight prison. "At the inquiries from the secretariat, i.e. the Mechanism /in The Hague/ to our remarks, requests and warnings about his health condition, the prison authorities are providing completely incorrect information. We cannot be angry with the President of the Mechanism Graciela Gatti Santana, who believes them," Petronijević stated. He noted that Karadžić's health condition is very poor, that the prison is inadequate, and points out that an eminent doctor from Great Britain has already given a report confirming that his chronic problems are very present and pronounced. "We hope, however, that someone from the Mechanism will find the strength to at least go personally to see themselves, or to allow us to send a commission of doctors from here, Banja Luka and Belgrade, to go and examine him and give their opinion on it," Petronijević said. The Mechanism in The Hague, as he states, has not yet decided on the lawyer's request to return Karadžić to detention in Scheveningen. "For us, it would be a success if he were returned to The Hague. That would be like an intermediate option. Because The Hague is a hotel in relation to these conditions. We wait, we write, we beg, we inform, we monitor...", said Petronijević. He pointed out that Karadžić's placement in the "worst possible prison" followed the request of the then Minister of Justice of Great Britain Dominic Raab, who was previously an employee of the Prosecutor's Office in The Hague, and is a kind of Raab's personal revenge and animosity. "We face a serious obstruction from Great Britain, namely from the prison authorities and, most likely, from the British Ministry of Justice. Because that's where it all starts from, that negative narrative about him has remained to this day. That's a serious problem for us, it took us a long time to locate what it's all about," said Petronijević. Karadžić was recently accused of planning an escape. Petronijević believes that the goal of the accusations is psychological pressure, because such a prisoner is dressed in special, conspicuous clothing with fluorescent patterns, which makes him a target among the prison population. "That is completely absurd, an incredible thing. I think they no longer know what to invent in order to put psychological pressure on him. A 78-year-old man, with such chronic illnesses, in a medieval-style prison on an island, is planning an escape! That is simply incredible!" said Petronijević. He noted that Karadžić has no direct objections to the guards and the prison administration in that part, therefore apparently, someone from a higher level is ordering this. "He asked for an explanation and, he says, they were kind telling him: `You know what, we were told so and we have to implement these measures,`" said Petronijević. The lawyer pointed out that the Mechanism in The Hague would have to intervene, as it is obligated to monitor the execution of the sanction it has imposed, but to "seek to avoid any problem, in terms of further interference". The problem, as he notes, is that the reports coming from Great Britain are incorrect, and the Mechanism believes them because they are official figures for them and follow the assumption that they are being told the truth. He reminds that Karadžić, regardless of the fact that he was sentenced to life imprisonment, has his rights regulated by many conventions, including the UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Persons Deprived of Liberty, the so-called Mendela Rules, according to which he should serve his sentence in the closest possible place of origin, which Great Britain is not. Petronijević pointed out that Karadžić had the opportunity to be "medically killed" in a British prison twice, because both cases when his health was "on the verge" occurred on the weekend when he was unable to communicate and seek a doctor. "On both occasions, if he had not been given help on Saturday at the insistence of both us and the Mechanism, he would not have survived. They changed the nature of the sentence he was given. He was given a life sentence, but not in these conditions," Petronijević said. Petronijević pointed out that Karadžić, who has been in the White Prison for three years, has not been seen by anyone, except for one of our priests who served in the UK, who managed to go there on two occasions. He pointed out that Karadžić's family must obtain a visa to enter the UK, who are still under sanctions. Petronijević added that he had recently spoken to Karadžić on the phone and that during those conversations they discussed plans to file a request for a review of the verdict. "He has been prevented from working on the review, which he has been preparing for quite some time. He has been prevented from writing, from working on the part related to the review itself, of course, together with us. They are doing everything they can to get in the way," Petronijević said. Karadžić has been in Albany Prison on the Isle of Wight since May 2021, where he is serving a life sentence after being convicted by the Hague Tribunal.