Date: 14.03.2012
Time: 12:00
The Press Briefing will be available on the ICTY YouTube channel shortly.
Registry and Chambers:
Nerma Jelačić, Spokesperson for Registry and Chambers, made the following statement:
Good afternoon,
Following the recent hospitalisation of Vojislav Šešelj, the Trial Chamber on Monday asked for a new medical examination to be conducted by an independent panel of experts to assess whether the Accused’s current health condition is compatible with the regime in the Tribunal’s Detention Unit. The Chamber asked the Registrar to designate a committee of three medical experts, who are to provide the report as soon as possible and within 30 days of the Chamber’s order.
Proceedings in Šešelj’s trial are expected to resume this afternoon at 14:15 in Courtroom III with the presentation of his closing arguments.
A Status Conference in Šešelj’s third contempt of court case has been scheduled to be held on Monday, 19 March at 14:30 in Courtroom I. Šešelj is accused of failing to remove confidential information from his personal website in violation of orders of a Chamber. The confidential information published by Šešelj on his website includes four books authored by the Accused and five confidential filings submitted by him as part of his main trial and two previous trials for contempt of court. These books and filings reveal confidential information about a number of protected witnesses who testified in his main trial before the Tribunal for alleged war crimes. The order in lieu of indictment was made public on 24 May 2011 and is available on the Tribunal’s website.
Proceedings in the trial of Mićo Stanišić and Stojan Župljanin adjourned last Friday after the last Chamber witness testified. Over the course of the trial, which started on 14 September 2009 and lasted for a total of 351 trial days, the Prosecution called a total of 125 and two rebuttal witnesses to testify in person. Stanišić’s defence called seven witnesses, Župljanin called 10 and the Trial Chamber called three witnesses. The Chamber has yet to inform the parties of the date by which they are to submit their final trial briefs and to schedule the closing arguments. The media will be informed accordingly.
Proceedings in the trials of Radovan Karadžić as well as Jovica Stanišić and Franko Simatović continue this week and next as scheduled.
In the trial of Karadžić, the Chamber is currently hearing the testimony of protected witness KDZ -122, who is testifying in closed session.
In the Stanišić and Simatović trial, witness Goran Opačić, former police officer then member of the Territorial Defence in the Serb Autonomous Region of Krajina (SAO), is currently testifying on behalf of Simatović’s Defence. Please note that a housekeeping session has been scheduled for Wednesday, 28 March at 9:00 in Courtroom II.
Finally, I would like to bring to your attention that the Outreach Programme yesterday launched a new region-wide project to reach out to university students across the former Yugoslavia. The first round of presentations are taking place this week in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and will be followed in the coming weeks and months by rounds of presentations in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo.
Office of the Prosecutor:
There was no one present from OTP.
Questions:
No questions were asked.