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ICTY Weekly Press Briefing - 20 February 2013

Date: 20.02.2013
Time: 12:00

Registry and Chambers:

Magdalena Spalińska, Spokesperson for Registry and Chambers, made the following statement:

Good morning,

The Tribunal was officially notified yesterday by the Serbian Authorities that Milan Gvero passed away on Sunday, 17 February. The Chamber in the case are officially seized of the matter.

Gvero was one of six defence appellants in the Popović et al. case, who was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment on 10 June 2010 for crimes committed in Srebrenica and Žepa enclaves. He was granted early release on 28 June 2010, pending the delivery of the Appeal Judgement. The question of the future of the appellate proceeding is a matter within the purview of the Appeals Chamber.

The Appeal Judgment in the case of Prosecutor v. Momčilo Perišić is scheduled to be rendered in Courtroom I of the Tribunal on 28 February 2013 at 3:00 p.m.

Momčilo Perišić is the former Chief of the General Staff of the Yugoslav Army.

A majority of the Trial Chamber, Judge Moloto dissenting, found Perišić guilty of aiding and abetting murders, inhumane acts, persecutions on political, racial or religious grounds, and attacks on civilians between August 1993 and November 1995 in Sarajevo and Srebrenica through the role he played in the development and implementation of the Yugoslav Supreme Defence Council’s policy of providing military and other assistance to support the war efforts of the Army of the Republika Srpska (“VRS”) in Bosnia. 
A majority of the Trial Chamber, Judge Moloto dissenting, also found Perišić guilty, as a superior, for failing to punish murder, attacks on civilians, and inhumane acts related to the shelling of Zagreb that took place on 2 and 3 May 1995. The majority found that Perišić retained effective control over Army of Yugoslavia (“VJ”) soldiers seconded to the Serbian Army of the Krajina (“SVK”) and that he failed to punish these seconded soldiers for crimes that took place during the shelling of Zagreb.

The Trial Chamber unanimously acquitted Perišić of aiding and abetting extermination in Srebrenica, and of superior responsibility for crimes in Sarajevo and Srebrenica.

The Trial Chamber sentenced Perišić to 27 years of imprisonment.

Perišić’s trial began on 2 October 2008. Closing arguments were held from 28 to 31 March 2011. In the course of 198 trial days, the Trial Chamber considered evidence from a total of 136 witnesses, and admitted 3,797 exhibits into evidence. The Trial Judgement was delivered on 6 September 2011.

The Defence appealed the Trial Judgement, and requests that Perišić be acquitted on all grounds. The Prosecution did not file an appeal. The appeal hearing was held on 30 October 2012.

Turning to the activities in the courtrooms:

In the case of Radovan Karadžić, the Trial Chamber is currently hearing the testimony of Petar Kaurinović, a former police officer in Brčko. He is the 82nd witness to be called by the Defence.

In the case of Ratko Mladić, Per Anton Brennskag, former UN military observer in Sarajevo, is testifying. He is the 76th witness to be called by the Prosecution.

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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