Date: 1.12.2010
Time: 12:00
Registry and Chambers:
Nerma Jelačić, Spokesperson for Registry and Chambers, made the following statement:
Good afternoon,
Amnesty International issued last Friday a public statement on the completion strategy of the ICTY and ICTR, which the Tribunal is grateful for. The statement underlines the fact that both tribunals have “prosecuted more cases than any other contemporary international criminal court” but highlights remaining difficulties including resource constraints, the effective prosecution of cases and capacity building in national jurisdictions and the need to create a residual mechanism.
In advance of the President’s and Prosecutor’s address to the Security Council on Monday, 6 December, Amnesty urges the Security Council to ensure that the requisite time, resources and cooperation are provided to both Tribunals to allow them to complete their cases effectively. The statement also adds that there should be more capacity building, greater efforts to demand that national authorities fully prosecute crimes and more progress in establishing a mechanism to ensure that the continuing functions of the Tribunals are conducted effectively.
On to court developments:
Last week, the Registrar provided the Trial Chamber with a medical report from the hospital that treated Vojislav Šešelj, following complaints of complications the Accused made during the last administrative hearing in early November. The Deputy Registrar reports that contrary to the Accused’s suggestions, the hospital’s report states the procedure was “successful.” The Tribunal continues to closely monitor the health of all detainees.
Last Thursday, in the case of Mićo Stanišić and Stojan Župljanin, the Trial Chamber ordered the Prosecution to call General Manojlo Milovanović to testify on the authenticity of Mladić’s notebooks. The Trial Chamber has ordered the Prosecution to call this witness before the winter recess and has allowed three hours for the examination-in-chief.
In relation to the court’s upcoming winter recess, five Accused have applied for provisional release: Jovica Stanišić, Mico Stanišić, Franko Simatović, Ramush Haradinaj and Lahi Brahimaj. The media will be informed as soon as the decisions on their applications have been made.
Turning to the courtroom schedule:
An administrative hearing in the Šešelj case will take place at 2:30 this afternoon in Courtroom 1.
In the case of Radovan Karadžić, hearings briefly resumed on Monday 29 November, having adjourned on 3 November to enable the Accused to review potentially exculpatory material disclosed to him by the Prosecution at the end of October. The trial will again resume on Tuesday 7 December at 9am in Courtroom 1.
A status conference has also been scheduled in the case of Šainović and others for Tuesday 18 January 2011, at 2.30pm in Courtroom 1.
Hearings in the cases of Mićo Stanišić and Stojan Župljanin, Zdravko Tolimir, Momčilo Perišić, as well as Jovica Stanišić and Franko Simatović continue this week and next as scheduled.
Finally, I would like to draw your attention to the latest activity in the War Crimes Justice Project, a joint ICTY, OSCE-ODIHR and UNICRI programme funded by the European Commission. Tomorrow and on Friday, there will be a two-day training session for Bosnian legal professionals at the Judicial Training Academy in Sarajevo. The goal of these training sessions is to transfer the Tribunal's institutional knowledge and specialised skills to jurisdictions in the region so as to enhance their capacity to handle complex war crimes cases.
Office of the Prosecutor:
Aleksandar Kontić, member of the Prosecutor’s Immediate Office, made the following statement:
Prosecutor Serge Brammertz is in New York where he will present the next report on the Completion Strategy to the Security Council on 6 December 2010.
During his visit, the Prosecutor will have consultations with Permanent representatives to the UN, senior officials of the UN Secretariat and leading NGOs. The Prosecutor will discuss progress in trials and appeals, cooperation of States and the proposed supplementary budget of the Tribunal.
The Prosecutor will also attend a meeting with the Security Council’s working group on the proposed residual mechanism.
Questions:
No questions were asked.