Date: 26.5.2010
Time: 11:30
Registry and Chambers:
Christian Chartier, Acting Spokesperson for Registry and Chambers, made the following statement:
Good afternoon,
At the invitation of the President of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Treaty establishing the ICC, President Robinson, Prosecutor Brammertz and Registrar Hocking will travel next week to Kampala, the location of the first ICC Review Conference from 31 May until 11 June.
The Review Conference will be the first opportunity for the States Parties to the Rome Statute to make possible amendments to the Statute since its entry into force on 1 July 2002, and to take stock of the Treaty’s implementation so far.
The ICTY is very much looking forward to contributing its year-long expertise to the discussions in Kampala.
In the trial of Vlastimir Ðorđević, the Defence rested its case on 20 May. Closing arguments have been scheduled for 13 and 14 July. To date in this case there have been 197 trial days, 115 witnesses for the Prosecution of whom 105 testified viva voce and 28 Defence witnesses.
Onto the upcoming court schedule:
Hearings in the trial of Momčilo Perišić resume next Tuesday 1 June at 14:15 in Courtroom III.
In the trial of Gotovina et al, the Prosecution case will reopen next Wednesday 2 June at 9:00 in Courtroom III, in order for the Prosecution to present new evidence.
Hearings in the trial of Zdravko Tolimir, Radovan Karadžić, Jovica Stanišić and Franko Simatović as well as Mićo Stanišić and Stojan Župljanin continue this week and next as scheduled.
Office of the Prosecutor:
Olga Kavran, Spokesperson for the Office of the Prosecutor, made the following statement:
Prosecutor Serge Brammertz is in Croatia this week. Yesterday, he met with President Ivo Josipovic. Tomorrow and Friday, the Prosecutor will attend the Regional Conference of Prosecutors on Brioni. As the Prosecutor has stressed previously, regional cooperation is one of the key priorities for his Office and this conference will be an opportunity to assess the cooperation, highlight its successes and identify areas in which further improvement may be necessary. On Friday afternoon, the Prosecutor will meet Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and the National Council for Cooperation. Following this meeting, there will be a brief media opportunity with the Prosecutor at the Government building.
This is the final of his planned working visits to the region of the former Yugoslavia in preparation for the OTP's biannual report to the UN Security Council. The main topic of the meetings with government officials is the cooperation of Croatia with the Office of the Prosecutor and other matters related to the Tribunal’s Completion Strategy.
Questions:
Asked to provide more details about the ICTY’s contribution to the Kampala conference, Chartier said that he was not familiar with the details of the President's and Registrar's schedule. But, he added, it is easy to figure out that they have been invited to share their inner knowledge of the functioning of an international criminal tribunal, and their expertise in international criminal proceedings.
Kavran said that Prosecutor Brammertz has been invited to take part in a panel discussion on positive complementarity and speak about the experience of the ICTY Office of the Prosecutor in terms of its cooperation and interaction with the local prosecutors in the region of the former Yugoslavia. Of the international tribunals, the ICTY’s OTP has the longest and most substantial experience in this area. The Prosecutor will also participate in a number of related discussions and working groups at the invitation of NGOs during the ICC Review Conference.
Asked if there was a hearing in the Sljivancanin case next week, Chartier confirmed that a hearing was scheduled for 3 June at 8:45 in courtroom I. Chartier stated that the hearing stems from a defense request to introduce what they call new evidence, adding that the fact the hearing was being held did not mean that the Appeals Chamber has accepted the evidence as new evidence. Chartier said that the first part of the hearing would be the examination of the witness by both Prosecution and Defense with a discussion on evidentiary matters expected to take place in the second half of the hearing.