Date: 22.08.2012
Time: 12:00
Registry and Chambers:
Nerma Jelačić, Spokesperson for Registry and Chambers, made the following statement:
Good afternoon,
Welcome back to the Tribunal.
Proceedings resumed yesterday in the case of Ratko Mladić, former Commander of the Bosnian Serb Army (VRS), with the testimony of Aernout Van Lynden, a Sky News journalist who covered much of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1991-1995. His testimony opens the second segment of the Prosecution’s case, which will focus on evidence related to the period between the beginning of the Indictment period and the end of the summer of 1992. The next witness is expected to be Colm Doyle who was part of the European Community Monitoring Mission from October 1991 to March 1992 and a liaison for former British Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington until August 1992. Between October 1991 and November 1992, he was stationed in Banja Luka and he will testify about his mission there, which was focused on meeting with leaders from various political parties.
In the trial of Zdravko Tolimir, a former high ranking official of the Bosnian Serb Army (VRS), the Prosecution presented its closing arguments yesterday afternoon and requested that he be sentenced to a term of life imprisonment. The Defence will present their closing arguments today starting at 14:15 in Courtroom III. Both parties will have an opportunity to present a rebuttal tomorrow afternoon, if necessary. Tolimir is charged with genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war committed between July and November 1995 against Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica and Žepa, eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the latest estimates from the Completion Strategy Report which was presented to the Security Council in June, the Judgement is expected to be rendered in December 2012.
A Status Conference in the appeals case of Vlastimir Đorđević, former Assistant Minister of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) and Chief of its Public Security Department (RJB), will be held tomorrow at 9:30 in Courtroom I. Đorđević was sentenced to 27 years’ imprisonment on 23 February 2011 for crimes committed against Kosovo Albanian civilians in 1999.
Onto recent developments:
As announced on Friday, Mile Mrkšić, former Colonel within the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA), was transferred last Thursday to Portugal to serve his 20-year sentence for crimes committed against non-Serb prisoners of war at the hangar of Ovčara near the Croatian town of Vukovar. Mrkšić is the first convicted person to be transferred to Portugal. The Tribunal commends Portuguese authorities for their cooperation in securing the enforcement of his sentence.
Finally, I would like to inform you that hardcopies of the Albanian version of the Manual on Developed Practices are now available and can be requested from the Media Office. The electronic version of the Manual is also available online. The Manual is also available in print and online in English and BCS.
Office of the Prosecutor:
Frederick Swinnen, Special Advisor to the Prosecutor, made the following statement:
I would like to point out that the list of the upcoming 14 witnesses in the case of Ratko Mladić is available online.
Questions:
No questions were asked.
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International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
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