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Date: 15.6.2011
Time: 12:00
Registry and Chambers:
Martin Petrov, Chief of the Office of the Registrar, made the following statement:
Good afternoon,
I will turn first to a Decision and a Registry Submission relating to the trial of Vojislav Šešelj.
In a Decision issued on 9 June, the Trial Chamber ruled on requests made orally by the Accused during the hearing of 5 May 2011 relating to the presentation of his defence. In the Decision, the Trial Chamber rejected four of the Accused’s requests, granted one in part, and found another one to be moot. The Trial Chamber further ordered Šešelj to file his Rule 65ter witness and exhibit lists within six weeks of receipt of this Decision in B/C/S.
The Registrar’s submission filed yesterday relates to the implementation of the 29 October 2010 Decision of the Trial Chamber ordering the Registrar to ‘fund 50% of the funds allocated in principle to a totally indigent accused’. In the Submission, the Registrar confirms the Registry’s preparedness to implement the Trial Chamber’s decision on funding, but the Accused has yet to request remuneration for his associates in line with the Remuneration Scheme for Persons Assisting Self-Represented Accused. A copy of the Remuneration Scheme, as well as further explanation of the remuneration available, was provided to Šešelj on 1 June 2011.
I will turn now to scheduling matters:
Following the presentation of the Defence case in the second contempt of court trial of Vojislav Šešelj, hearings adjourned last Wednesday, 8 June. The Chamber will announce the date of the Judgement in due course.
During Thursday’s Status Conference in the case of Haradinaj and others, Judge Moloto proposed to hold a pre-trial conference on Wednesday, 17 August and to hear opening statements the following day.
In the trial of Jovica Stanišić and Franko Simatović, Stanišić’s defence case started this morning and proceedings will continue on Tuesday, 21 June, at 14:15 in Courtroom II.
Hearings in the case of Radovan Karadžić, Mićo Stanišić and Stojan Župljanin as well as Zdravko Tolimir continue this week and next as scheduled.
In the Karadžić case, the Chamber is currently hearing the testimony of expert Prosecution witness Dorothea Hanson, whose expert report covers the Bosnian Serb Crisis Staffs from 1992- 1995.
In the case of Tolimir, the Chamber is currently hearing the testimony of a protected witness in closed session.
In the Stanišić and Župljanin case, Defence witness Simo Tusevljak will start his testimony this afternoon at 14:15 in Courtroom III. Mr Tusevljak worked in Sarajevo as a policeman in the field of crime prevention during the period relevant to the indictment.
To conclude, I would like to bring to your attention a training session for Bosnian legal professionals that will take place tomorrow and Friday in Sarajevo. The goal of the training, which is taking place as part of the War Crimes Justice Project, is to share the Tribunal’s institutional knowledge and specialised skills with legal professionals in the Region so as to enhance their capacity to handle complex war crimes cases. More information will be available in a Press Release which will be issued later this week. Also as part of the War Crimes Justice Project, Prosecutors from the Tribunal are meeting their counterparts from the Region today.
Office of the Prosecutor:
Aleksandar Kontić, member of the Prosecutor’s Immediate Office, made no statement.
Questions:
Asked about whether Ratko Mladić has moved to the residential wing of the UN Detention Unit, Martin Petrov replied that information about the exact whereabouts of detainees within the Unit is not made available for security reasons. Petrov confirmed that Mladić has completed the initial induction process in the Detention Unit and is now following the standard detention regime which applies to all detainees. Asked whether he has seen a dentist and whether Serbian doctors are travelling to the Hague to examine him, Petrov indicated that all necessary medical tests have been carried out in order to provide a full and clear picture of Mladić’s health status. Under the Tribunal’s Rules of Detention, Mladić is also entitled to be seen by a Doctor of his choice. Should the Accused make such a request, the Registry would be willing to accommodate it. To Petrov’s knowledge, no such request has been made.
Asked whether Ratko Mladić has made any requests about his legal representation, Petrov replied that no specific requests have been received to date. Mladić is entitled to select a counsel of his own choosing, or in the event he seeks legal aid, a counsel from an approved list of qualified counsel eligible for assignment to indigent accused. Petrov confirmed that the Office of Legal Aid and Detention have met with Mladić on several occasions and will meet with him again this week. It is anticipated that Mladic’s choices with regard to his defence will be made prior to his further initial appearance on 4 July.
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International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
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