Date: 30.05.2012
Time: 12:00
Registry and Chambers:
Nerma Jelačić, Spokesperson for Registry and Chambers, made the following statement:
Good afternoon,
The date for the trial in Vojislav Šešelj’s third contempt of court case has been set for Tuesday, 12 June 2012 in Courtroom I. The trial will start directly after the pre-trial conference which will begin at 9:00. Šešelj is accused of having published on his website confidential information in breach of Chamber’s orders. This material comprises four books authored by the Accused himself and six confidential filings submitted by him as part of his main trial and two previous trials for contempt of court, all of which contain confidential information about a number of protected witnesses who testified in his war crimes case. Šešelj will be the only witness in the case and he will be examined by his legal adviser Dejan Mirović for up to two hours.
Also relating to Vojislav Šešelj, the report of the team of three doctors asked by the Registrar to provide an opinion on the compatibility of the Accused’s detention with his state of health was filed as a public document on 18 May. The team concluded that "the medical care and facilities provided at the Detention Unit are at least as efficient as, and function at the level of, what is offered to the general population outside the Detention Unit, and that the medical facilities at the Detention Unit are compatible with the health of Mr. Seselj." The only recommendation made by the team was to shorten the intervals between the observations of the Accused, which are currently made every hour as set out in the report. The Accused refused to meet the team of doctors and they were not given access to his medical records.
The Trial Chamber last Friday scheduled the start of the Prosecution’s presentation of evidence in the case of Ratko Mladić for Monday, 25 June 2012. The Prosecution has until the end of today to file a new witness order for its first witnesses and the media will be kept informed.
In the case of Radovan Karadžić, the Accused will make his Rule 98bis submissions on Monday, 11 June at 9:00 in Courtroom I. This rule allows for the Trial Chamber to enter a judgement of acquittal on any count in the indictment by oral decision at the close of the Prosecution case if there is no evidence capable of supporting a conviction. The Prosecution will respond to the Accused’s submissions on Wednesday, 13 June also at 9:00 in Courtroom I.
Closing arguments in the case of Mićo Stanišić and Stojan Župljanin started yesterday and are expected to last until this Friday. Both Prosecution and Defence have six hours to present their closing arguments.
In the case of Jovica Stanišić and Franko Simatović, the Chamber is currently hearing the testimony of Radivoje Mićić, former Serbian State Security Officer, the final witness to testify for the Simatović Defence.
In the Appeals case of Vujadin Popović and others a Status Conference will be held this Thursday at 9:00 in Courtroom I.
Finally, the President of the Tribunal, Judge Theodor Meron, welcomed the UK initiative on preventing and combating sexual violence in conflict. The initiative forms part of the UK’s forthcoming Presidency of the G8 in 2013. It includes the establishment of a dedicated UK team able to be deployed overseas at short notice to gather evidence and testimony that can be used to support investigations and prosecutions of crimes of sexual violence in conflict. Speaking about the initiative, the President said "Through their jurisprudence, the ICTY and its sister Tribunal, the ICTR, have helped to ensure that treaties and conventions forbidding acts of sexual violence in wartime, which for many years existed only on paper, have become a reality. However, it is clear that courts alone cannot eradicate this problem, which is why I welcome the UK initiative to establish a dedicated team devoted to combating and preventing sexual violence in conflict".
Office of the Prosecutor:
Aleksandar Kontić, member of the Prosecutor’s Immediate Office, made no statement.
Questions:
No questions were asked.
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International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
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