Q&A: Karadzic's legal position

Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has appeared before the UN's International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) at The Hague.

He was transferred from Belgrade, where he was arrested by Serbian security agents on 21 July, after 13 years on the run.

What is Mr Karadzic accused of?

Mr Karadzic is being held in a cell like this at the UN detention unit

He faces 11 counts of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and other atrocities in the Bosnian war of the 1990s.

The charges relate to several events, including his alleged part in the July 1995 shelling of Sarajevo during the city's siege, in which some 12,000 civilians died

He is also alleged to have organised the massacre of up to 8,000 Bosniak men and youths in Srebrenica as part of a campaign to "terrorise and demoralise the Bosnian Muslim and Bosnian Croat population".

He is accused of targeting Bosniak and Bosnian Croat political leaders, intellectuals and professionals. He is also charged with unlawfully deporting and transferring civilians because of national or religious identity, and of destroying homes, businesses and sacred sites.

And he is said to have used 284 UN peacekeepers as human shields in May and June 1995.

How long will the trial take?

It is difficult to estimate how long Mr Karadzic's trial will last.

But it could be anything from a few months to up to two years, and possibly longer.

What stage has the case at The Hague reached?

Mr Karadzic, 63, made his first appearance before the war crimes tribunal on 31 July, 2008.

Judge Alphons Orie asked Mr Karadzic to confirm his identity, which he did.

Mr Karadzic announced his intention to represent himself during his trial, despite Judge Orie advising that this may have some disadvantages.

Following his first court hearing, Mr Karadzic complained that Judge Orie was biased against him.

Mr Karadzic appeared a second time before the court on 29 August 2008 before a new presiding judge - Iain Bonomy. Asked to respond to the charges against him, he refused to enter any plea. The court entered not guilty pleas for all counts on his behalf, according to its rules.

On hearing the words "not guilty" Mr Karadzic quipped: "I would rather hear you say that at the end of the trial than at the beginning."

What legal procedure did Serbia follow to transfer Mr Karadzic to The Hague?

A Serbian judge ruled on 22 July that Mr Karadzic, who was first held at the War Crimes Court in Belgrade, should be handed over.

This was the first hurdle to be cleared, under Serbia's law on co-operation with the ICTY, before Mr Karadzic could be transferred.

Mr Karadzic was then granted three days to appeal. His lawyer, Svetozar Vujacic, admitted on 29 July that he had never filed an appeal against his client's transfer from Serbia. But he said the uncertainty over whether an appeal had been lodged had helped delay Mr Karadzic's handover. He was put on a special flight to The Hague in the early hours of 30 July.

He is being held at the UN detention unit in the seaside resort of Scheveningen, just outside The Hague.

What is the UN detention unit like?

It was built in the mid-1990s within the confines of an existing Dutch government prison. Currently it is holding 37 other detainees indicted over the 1990s wars in former Yugoslavia.

Each inmate gets a single cell, measuring 15 sq m (170 sq ft), complete with shower, toilet, wash basin, desk and chair.

They also get television in five languages, as well as satellite TV in their own tongue.

Inmates who are representing themselves also get an additional "archive cell", a telephone and a computer to help them prepare their case.

There are games rooms for darts, table tennis and board games, and lessons are offered in art and languages. A prison library is also provided, along with a courtyard for exercise.

A doctor is on permanent standby, along with a nurse and a psychologist, and several Dutch hospitals - among the world's most advanced - are within minutes of the prison gates.

There is also a room, the so-called "Comfort Room", which is closed off from the rest of the prison visiting area and its ubiquitous cameras. It contains a bed and is reserved for conjugal visits.

During his first appearance in court, Mr Karadzic complained about the circumstances of his arrest, saying he was held incommunicado for three days.

But he said he had no complaints about his treatment since his arrival in The Hague. "I've been in worse places," he said.

Is there any time limit on the court proceedings?

The ICTY is an ad hoc tribunal and its mandate runs out in 2010. The UN Security Council will have to decide whether to extend its mandate, so that it can complete its work.

An ICTY spokeswoman told the BBC that the ICTY "needs a mechanism in place to try all those indicted", including the two still at large - former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic and former Croatian Serb leader Goran Hadzic.

"The ICTY has been working with the UN Security Council to establish a completion strategy for its mandate," said the spokeswoman, Nerma Jelacic.

"Our position is to try those in custody, and the tribunal wants to try the fugitives. It must not close its doors before it has tried Karadzic, Mladic and Hadzic," she said.