| Press Release | PROSECUTOR |
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)
CC/PIO/290e
Statement by the Prosecutor, Justice Louise Arbour, following the first
voluntary and unconditional surrender of accused from Republika SRPSKA.
“A SIGNIFICANT SURRENDER”
“The voluntary and unconditional surrender of Milan Simic and Miroslav Tadic is significant because it represents the first surrender of accused from Republika Srpska. I would hope that this is not the last voluntary surrender from this area and others, including the FRY. This surrender further isolates the FRY in its failure to ensure that indicted persons are brought one way or another to justice.
The combination of diplomatic efforts and operations conducted over the past months by S-FOR forces have sent a clear signal that indicted accused will not be able to obstruct the course of justice by hiding behind an apparent unwillingness of their national authorities to comply with their international obligations.
Accordingly it is in the interest of indicted persons to surrender themselves to answer the charges laid against them. To the extent possible, I will undertake to seek recognition in court of the fact that an accused has surrendered himself.
I assure the remaining 52 publicly indicted accused that they are not going to avoid the Tribunal’s jurisdiction for ever and I invite them once again to surrender themselves, failing which I am confident that more operations will be carried out by S-FOR”.
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International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
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