Date: 12.12.2012
Time: 12:00
Registry and Chambers:
Magdalena Spalińska, Spokesperson for Registry and Chambers, made the following statement:
Good afternoon,
Welcome to the last press briefing of the year. The winter recess will start next Monday for a period of three weeks. Please note however that hearings will be held next week in the Karadžić case from Monday through to Thursday in the morning in Courtroom III.
Before turning to the activities in the courtrooms, I would like to provide you with an update on the latest development in the case of Jovica Stanišić and Franko Simatović.
Last Wednesday, the Trial Chamber officially declared the presentation of evidence in the case closed. The parties are to file their final trial briefs by Monday, 14 December 2012. The closing arguments are scheduled to take place from Tuesday, 29 to Thursday, 31 January 2013. Stanišić and Simatović have been ordered to return to the Detention Unit before Thursday, 24 January in order to attend the closing arguments. They have been provisionally released since July this year.
Stanišić and Simatović are two high level officials of Serbian Secret Service, who are accused of having directed, organised, equipped, trained, armed and financed secret units of the Serbian State Security which are alleged to have murdered, persecuted and deported Croats, Bosnian Muslims, Bosnian Croats and other non-Serb civilians from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia between 1991 and 1995. The Prosecution’s presentation of evidence started on 29 June 2009 with its first witness and concluded on 5 April 2011 after calling 62 live witnesses. The Defence case was held from 15 June 2011 to 17 September 2012, during which a total of 33 witnesses were called to testify in person.
In the case of Radovan Karadžić, the Appeals Chamber yesterday dismissed Karadžić’s appeal of the Trial Chamber’s decision denying his motion for a judgement of acquittal for hostage-taking, count 11 of the indictment. The decision is available online. The decision on the Prosecution’s appeal of the Trial Chamber’s decision to acquit Karadžić of count 1 of his indictment in which he is charged with genocide for the crimes committed between March and December 1992 in several municipalities of Bosnia and Herzegovina is still pending.
Turning to the activities in the courtrooms this week:
The judgment in the trial of Zdravko Tolimir, a former high ranking officer of the Bosnian Serb Army charged with crimes committed in Srebrenica and Žepa in Bosnia and Herzegovina, will be rendered today at 15:00 in Courtroom III.
Hearings in the cases of Mladić and Karadžić will continue this week as scheduled.
In the trial of Ratko Mladić, the Chamber is currently hearing the testimony of protected witness RM-163, a former UNPROFOR member in Sarajevo. This is the 56th witness to be called by the Prosecution.
In the trial of Radovan Karadžić, Željko Bambarez, a former officer in the Sarajevo-Romanija Corps of the Republika Srpska Army, is currently testifying. He is the 41st witness to be called by the Defence.
Proceedings in the Mladić and Hadžić trials will resume during the fist week back from winter recess.
Also during the first week after the end of recess, two Status Conferences will be held: one on Thursday, 10 January at 14:30 in the appeals case of Šainović and others; followed by another one in the appeals case of Popović and others on Friday at 9:30. Both will be held in Courtroom III.
I wish you all a very festive end of year!
Office of the Prosecutor:
Aleksandar Kontić, member of the Prosecutor's Immediate Office, made no statement.
Questions:
No questions were asked.
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International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
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