Date: 14.05.2008
Time: 12:00
Registry and Chambers:
Nerma Jelačić, Spokesperson for Registry and Chambers, made the following statement:
Good afternoon,
Another busy week at the Tribunal with four trials ongoing. Before I turn to other matters let me flag up a few key decisions made earlier this week.
Yesterday morning, the trial of Jovica Stanišić and Franko Simatović was adjourned until Monday 19 May 2008. Stanišić is currently in the infirmary of the Detention Unit where his health is being closely monitored.
Yesterday afternoon, Trial Chamber I granted Haraqija and Morina provisional release to be taken as soon as practicable. The return date of both accused to the Tribunal’s Detention Unit has yet to be determined by the Trial Chamber.
Last Friday, the Prosecution’s motion to reopen its case in the Popović et al. trial was granted. Three additional witnesses will be heard regarding Popović’s alleged involvement in mass executions in Bišina.
Finally on Thursday, an order scheduling start of trial was filed in the Momčilo Perišić case. The pre-trial conference has been scheduled for 21 July 2008 and will be followed by the Prosecution’s opening statement on 24 July 2008.
As regards the courtroom schedule for next week: Hearing in Milutinović et al., Šešelj, Prlić et al. and Gotovina et al. continue as scheduled.
Let me now turn to the problems with the internet broadcasting of hearings on our website. I wish to apologise for the inconvenience this may have caused. The problem lies within the external internet service provider itself and it is therefore entirely out of our control to solve. The provider is working on the problem to have it resolved as soon as possible. In the meantime, the media office is more than happy to provide you with copies of hearings, so please do not hesitate to contact us.
And lastly, earlier this week, Vuk Bošković, an adviser to the President of Montenegro Filip Vujanović, visited Pavle Strugar who is awaiting Appeals judgement in the Detention Unit. Following the visit Bošković expressed his satisfaction with the conditions and facilities within the detention unit.
Office of the Prosecutor:
Olga Kavran, Spokesperson for the Office of the Prosecutor, made the following statement:
The Prosecutor travelled to Croatia today and will be there until Friday. Today, he will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and Minister of Justice Ana Lovrin in Zagreb. They will discuss pending issues related to cooperation of Croatia with the Office of the Prosecutor.
Tomorrow and Friday, the Prosecutor will participate in the regional conference of national prosecutors, organised by the Office of the Chief State Attorney of Croatia and held in Brijuni. The title of the conference is "Cooperation of National Prosecutors' Offices in the prosecuting war crimes cases" and it will be attended by prosecutors from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, (FYR) Macedonia and Serbia.
The cooperation between this Office and the prosecution authorities in the former Yugoslavia remains crucial to the continued prosecution of war crimes in the region. The Office of the Prosecutor also encourages efforts to strengthen cooperation between national prosecutors in the countries of the former Yugoslavia and to eliminate all the remaining obstacles to effective inter-state cooperation so as to avoid the possibility of a judicial vacuum that would allow alleged war criminals to evade justice.
There will be no media opportunities - the conference is closed to the public. The State Attorney's office in Croatia has informed us that a joint statement from the conference will be issued on Friday, on their website.
Questions:
Asked whether there were any media opportunities during the Prosecutor’s meeting today in Zagreb with the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice, Kavran responded that there were not.