UN tribunal rejects Karadzic's bid to fire lawyer

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updated 9:33 a.m. ET Dec. 24, 2009

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - The Yugoslav war crimes tribunal has rejected Radovan Karadzic's attempt to fire his court-appointed lawyer.

The U.N. court appointed British attorney Richard Harvey in November to defend Karadzic if the former Bosnian Serb leader continues to boycott his trial when it resumes in March.

Karadzic is conducting his own defense. He refused to attend the start of his genocide trial in October, arguing he has not had enough time to prepare.

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In a decision released Thursday, the tribunal rejected Karadzic's argument that he should have been allowed to choose a lawyer who shared his language and Serb heritage.

Karadzic insists he is innocent of 11 charges alleging he masterminded Serb atrocities throughout Bosnia's 1992-95 war.