Date: 20.01.2010
Time: 12:00
Registry and Chambers:
Nerma Jelačić, Spokesperson for Registry and Chambers, made the following statement:
Good afternoon,
The Tribunal is convening a two-day conference “Assessing the Legacy of the ICTY” in The Hague on 23 and 24 February, 2010. The Conference is co-organised and co-sponsored by the Government of the Netherlands and the Sanela Diana Jenkins Human Rights Project at UCLA School of Law.
The purpose of the Conference is to ensure a wide consultation among stakeholders, local and international alike, on the key elements of the Tribunal’s legacy in the region of the former Yugoslavia and beyond. The ideas that participants bring forward at the Conference will help the Tribunal shape its overall legacy strategy.
Speakers will include significant actors from the former Yugoslavia, as well as past and current Tribunal officials and other international experts. All working sessions of the Conference will be open to the press and an accreditation process for the media will begin on 20 January and close on 3 February. Please refer to the Tribunal’s website and an upcoming Press Advisory for further details on the Conference and accreditation procedure.
Meantime, the United Nations General Assembly has approved the budget proposed by the Tribunal for the biennium 2010-2011 in its entirety. The proposed resource requirements for 2010-2011 amount to US $279,847,400 net.
I will now turn to courtroom activities.
Yesterday, at the end of the Appeals Hearing in the case of Rasim Delić, Prosecution asked for the Appeals Chamber to impose a sentence of seven years’ imprisonment whilst the Defence asked for the Accused to be acquitted. Delić was the former Commander of the Main Staff of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was sentenced on 15 September 2008 to three years’ imprisonment for failing to take the necessary and reasonable measures to prevent and punish the cruel treatment of captive Bosnian Serb soldiers by the El Mujahed Detachment of the BiH Army. The date of the Appeals Judgement will be announced by the Appeals Chamber as soon as it has been set.
A preparatory meeting has been scheduled in the case of Gotovina and others on Friday 22 January at 14:15 outside the courtroom. At the meeting, discussions will continue relating to the outstanding documents sought by the Prosecution. These documents relate to the artillery operation carried out during Operation Storm, and the Special Police documents relevant to the activities and operations of Mladen Markač and his subordinate Special Police units during and following Operation Storm. Representatives of the Republic of Croatia and trial parties will be present.
The trial of Momčilo Perišić is scheduled to resume on Monday 25 January at 9:00 in Courtroom III. Please note that the Prosecution has yet to rest its case.
Proceedings in the trial of Vojislav Šešelj have been cancelled for this afternoon due to the non-appearance of the scheduled witness. Hearings resume on Tuesday 26 January at 2.15pm in Courtroom I.
A Status Conference in the case of Radovan Karadžić will be held on Thursday 28 January at 14:30 in Courtroom I.
Proceedings in the trials of Gotovina and others, Jovica Stanišić and Franko Simatović, Vlastimir Ðorđević, Mićo Stanišić and Stojan Župljanin and Prlić and others continue this week and next as scheduled.
Office of the Prosecutor:
Frederick Swinnen, the Special Adviser of Prosecutor Serge Brammertz, was present to respond to questions related to the Office of the Prosecutor.
Questions:
Asked to clarify if the witness due to appear in court this week in the Vojislav Šešelj trial was an OTP or Chambers witness, Nerma Jelačić stated that the witness was a Chamber witness.
A journalist asked if OTP has concluded its case in the Šešelj trial and if not, did OTP intend to present more witnesses. Frederick Swinnen said that the Prosecution has not yet concluded its case. Swinnen added that the remaining witnesses would be called by Chambers.
Asked if a decision was expected to close the case after all Chambers witness have appeared, Swinnen stated that could be expected.
Asked what the total was for the 2008-2009 budget, Nerma Jelačić stated that the total budget for 2008-2009 was $347,566,900 net. Jelačić added that the total budget for 2010-2011 was 19.8% less than the previous budget, in line with the downsizing of the Tribunal.