Radovan Karadzic acquitted of one genocide charge

Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic was acquitted of one charge of genocide but ten other war crimes counts related to atrocities in Bosnia's bloody war were upheld (AFP/Getty Images)

The Yugoslav war crimes tribunal has acquitted the former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic of one charge of genocide but upheld 10 other war crimes counts related to atrocities in Bosnia's bloody war.

While yesterday's decision was a setback for prosecutors and angered survivors in Bosnia, the 10 pending charges against Mr Karadzic include another genocide count covering his alleged involvement in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys.

The charge that was dismissed covered the mass killings, expulsions and persecution by Serb forces of Muslims and Croats from Bosnian towns early in the country's 1992-95 war, which left 100,000 dead. Presiding Judge Oh-Gon Kwon said prosecutors did not provide enough evidence to "be capable of supporting a conviction of genocide".

Mr Karadzic was arrested in 2008, 13 years after he was first indicted on charges of masterminding Serb atrocities during Bosnia's war. His trial started in 2009 and prosecutors rested their case in May. His trial will continue later this year.