| Press Release |
CHAMBERS
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| (Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document) |
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The Hague, 3 September 2007
JP/MOW/ PR1181e
Trial Chamber conducts site visit in Rasim Delić case
The Trial Chamber in the case of Rasim Delić, former commander of the Main Staff of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina (ARBiH), today began a site visit to locations in Bosnia and Herzegovina relevant to the case.
The visiting delegation consists of Judges Moloto (presiding), Harhoff and Lattanzi from Trial Chamber I, as well as members of the prosecution and defence teams in the case and officials from the Tribunal's Registry.
The Trial Chamber decided to conduct the site visit upon a motion filed jointly by the prosecution and the defence. The Trial Chamber considered that "it is in the interest of justice that the Trial Chamber, together with the Parties, conduct a site-visit to locations relevant to the present case in order to gain a better understanding of the facts at issue" and that the site visit "will assist the Trial Chamber in assessing the alleged responsibility of the Accused".
Delić is charged on the basis of command responsibility for murder, cruel treatment and rape of captured Croat and Serb soldiers and civilians. The indictment alleges that Delić, in his capacity as Commander of the Main Staff of ARBiH, was responsible for planning and directing all ARBiH operations and for monitoring the activities of all subordinate officers and units, including foreign Muslim fighters referred to as 'Mujahedin'.
According to the indictment, Delić failed to take necessary and reasonable measures to punish his subordinates who executed captured Bosnian Croat civilians and soldiers in the villages of Maline and Bikoši in the Travnik municipality of central Bosnia and Herzegovina in June 1993.
Delić is also charged with the torture, beatings, murder and decapitation of Bosnian Serb Army soldiers and the rape and cruel treatment of three women committed in the Kamenica Camp in the municipality of Zavidovići in 1995. The indictment states that he was put on notice that the 'El Mujahed' Detachment was operating the Kamenica Camp and that its members had a propensity to commit crimes, particularly against captured enemy combatants and civilians, but he nevertheless failed to take necessary and reasonable measures to prevent the crimes.
The trial of Rasim Delić began on 9 July 2007 .
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Members of the press are advised that there will beno media opportunities during the site visit.
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at tel. +31-70-512-5343 or +31-70-512-5356
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International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
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