Page 234
1 Wednesday, 29 December 1999
2 [Initial Appearance]
3 [Open session]
4 [The accused entered court]
5 --- Upon commencing at 3.11 p.m.
6 JUDGE MUMBA: Good afternoon. Madam
7 Registrar, please call the case.
8 THE REGISTRAR: Good afternoon, Your Honour.
9 Case number IT-96-23-I, the Prosecutor against Zoran
10 Vukovic.
11 JUDGE MUMBA: Thank you. May I have
12 appearances for the Prosecution, please.
13 MR. RYNEVELD: Good afternoon, Your Honour.
14 If it please the Court, Dirk Ryneveld, along with Peggy
15 Kuo and also assisting us is Daryl Mundis for the
16 Prosecution. We're prepared to proceed this
17 afternoon.
18 JUDGE MUMBA: Thank you. For the Defence?
19 MR. KOSTIC: Good afternoon, Your Honour.
20 Attorney Nikola Kostic appearing for Mr. Vukovic. Your
21 Honour, I think you know I've appeared in front of this
22 Tribunal before. Nice to see you again. I should
23 advise you, Your Honour, that my appearance today I
24 think is, I'm not sure how you would qualify it, but
25 probably some kind of a temporary appointment in this
Page 235
1 case.
2 JUDGE MUMBA: Yes. It's for the purposes of
3 the Initial Appearance only?
4 MR. KOSTIC: Yes, and I have met with the
5 client and advised him. I do speak Serbian, so we were
6 able to communicate. But I'm prepared to assist the
7 client in going through today's appearance.
8 JUDGE MUMBA: Thank you very much,
9 Mr. Kostic.
10 The proceedings today are for the Initial
11 Appearance of the accused following his arrest, and we
12 are proceeding as provided for under Articles 20 and 21
13 of the Statute and we shall proceed to the proceedings
14 under Rule 62.
15 I would like to find out from the accused
16 whether he can hear the proceedings in a language he
17 understands.
18 MR. KOSTIC: Yes, he does, Your Honour.
19 JUDGE MUMBA: Thank you. I wanted the
20 accused to answer. I didn't hear him. Can you hear?
21 THE ACCUSED VUKOVIC: [Interpretation] Yes.
22 JUDGE MUMBA: Thank you. I wanted to explain
23 to the accused that this is an Initial Appearance, and
24 the procedure is that he may plead to the charges
25 against him if he has had time to read the indictment
Page 236
1 and to understand it and to consult with the counsel
2 who has been assigned to him, or he has a choice to
3 plead later, within 30 days of today's date. So I
4 would like to find out from the accused whether he
5 received the indictment containing the charges against
6 him.
7 THE ACCUSED VUKOVIC: [Interpretation] Yes, I
8 have received them.
9 JUDGE MUMBA: You understand the indictment?
10 THE ACCUSED VUKOVIC: [Interpretation] Yes.
11 JUDGE MUMBA: Do you feel that you are ready
12 to proceed to plead today or would you like to plead
13 later, within 30 days?
14 THE ACCUSED VUKOVIC: [Interpretation] I would
15 like to proceed today.
16 JUDGE MUMBA: The next question I have to
17 find out is whether you would like to have the
18 indictment read in full, or would you waive that right
19 to have the indictment read to you?
20 THE ACCUSED VUKOVIC: [Interpretation] I could
21 waive that right and that only what is related to
22 myself should be read out.
23 JUDGE MUMBA: All right. So we shall go
24 straight to the charges which are related to this
25 accused.
Page 237
1 Since you said that you are ready to proceed
2 today, I will ask you to stand up, and since you say
3 that you have understood the indictment and you have
4 waived the right to have the indictment read to you, I
5 will proceed on to the charges which are related to
6 you, and these are:
7 Count 21: Torture, a crime against humanity
8 punishable under Article 5(f) of the Statute of the
9 Tribunal. How do you plead, guilty or not guilty?
10 THE ACCUSED VUKOVIC: [Interpretation] Not
11 guilty.
12 JUDGE MUMBA: Count 22: Rape, a crime
13 against humanity punishable under Article 5(g) of the
14 Statute of the Tribunal. How do you plead?
15 THE ACCUSED VUKOVIC: [Interpretation] Not
16 guilty.
17 JUDGE MUMBA: Count 23: Torture, a violation
18 of the laws or customs of war punishable under Article
19 3 of the Statute of the Tribunal and recognised by
20 Common Article 3(1)(a) (torture) of the Geneva
21 Conventions. How do you plead?
22 THE ACCUSED VUKOVIC: [Interpretation] Not
23 guilty.
24 JUDGE MUMBA: Count 24: Rape, a violation of
25 the laws or customs of war punishable under Article 3
Page 238
1 of the Statute of the Tribunal. How do you plead?
2 THE ACCUSED VUKOVIC: [Interpretation] Not
3 guilty.
4 JUDGE MUMBA: The other counts related to you
5 are:
6 Count 33: Torture, a crime against humanity
7 punishable under Article 5(f) of the Statute of the
8 Tribunal. How do you plead?
9 THE ACCUSED VUKOVIC: [Interpretation] Not
10 guilty.
11 JUDGE MUMBA: Count 34: Rape, a crime
12 against humanity punishable under Article 5(g) of the
13 Statute of the Tribunal. How do you plead?
14 THE ACCUSED VUKOVIC: [Interpretation] Not
15 guilty.
16 JUDGE MUMBA: Count 35: Torture, a violation
17 of the laws or customs of war punishable under Article
18 3 of the Statute of the Tribunal and recognised by
19 Common Article 3(1)(a) (torture) of the Geneva
20 Conventions. How do you plead?
21 THE ACCUSED VUKOVIC: [Interpretation] Not
22 guilty.
23 JUDGE MUMBA: Count 36: Rape, a violation of
24 the laws or customs of war punishable under Article 3
25 of the Statute of the Tribunal. How do you plead?
Page 239
1 THE ACCUSED VUKOVIC: [Interpretation] Not
2 guilty.
3 JUDGE MUMBA: Thank you. Those are the only
4 counts related to yourself. You may be seated.
5 Mr. Kostic, we have taken the pleas. I just
6 wanted to know in what state of health the accused is.
7 Is everything okay as far as the accused's detention is
8 concerned?
9 MR. KOSTIC: Your Honour, I spent last
10 evening at the U.N. Detention Centre with Mr. Vukovic.
11 He had no particular complaints about his physical
12 condition, and he appeared to be -- I'm not a doctor,
13 but he appeared to be fine. Like I say, there doesn't
14 seem to be a problem concerning his situation.
15 I may want to add for you that the family has
16 taken some efforts to identify some type of a defence
17 team or an office, and I can inform you about that
18 whenever you feel it appropriate.
19 JUDGE MUMBA: Thank you very much.
20 The Prosecutor, we have been through the
21 Initial Appearance and the accused has pleaded. I need
22 only to remind the Prosecution of their duties under
23 Rule 66, disclosure, and the rest of the Rules that
24 follow, and that the Defence will also have 30 days
25 after the materials are disclosed for preliminary
Page 240
1 motions. I wanted to find out whether there was
2 anything else that the Prosecution would like to say to
3 the Court before we rise.
4 MR. RYNEVELD: Yes, Your Honour. Thank you
5 for the opportunity of raising more or less a
6 housekeeping matter, if I may. I can say that
7 yesterday I filed a request to a judge to allow
8 disclosure of the amended indictment which had
9 previously been under seal.
10 JUDGE MUMBA: Yes.
11 MR. RYNEVELD: Inadvertently I also added a
12 phrase which I, on reflection, wish I hadn't included
13 and that was "the supporting documentation or arrest
14 warrants." Because the supporting material might
15 identify certain persons who would need to have their
16 identities protected, if I could ask Your Honour orally
17 at this point to amend that order which was granted by
18 Judge Wang yesterday to be limited to disclosure of the
19 amended indictment and not the supporting materials or
20 the arrest warrants. It's just my concern that having
21 quoted directly from the previous order, I
22 inadvertently asked for more than I really intended
23 to. So that would be my application at this time.
24 JUDGE MUMBA: Yes. That is well understood,
25 but the Prosecution is aware that my powers are only
Page 241
1 limited to the Initial Appearance, and now that the
2 case has been assigned to a Trial Chamber, such an
3 application should be made to the Trial Chamber.
4 MR. RYNEVELD: Yes.
5 JUDGE MUMBA: And I will see to it that the
6 decision is delivered as quickly as possible.
7 MR. RYNEVELD: Thank you. Would you
8 anticipate that we need to make a formal written
9 application in addition to putting the Court on notice
10 of our intention now, or making an oral application?
11 I'm just concerned that in the interim the documents
12 may inadvertently be disclosed, and I just wanted to
13 bring to the Court's attention the fact that that might
14 cause irreparable harm.
15 JUDGE MUMBA: Yes. The Prosecution is aware
16 again that this has to be to a Trial Chamber and a
17 written motion has to be, I'm afraid, pushed in. But I
18 would take this opportunity to advise the Defence
19 counsel to advise the accused person that the
20 disclosure of confirming materials was inadvertent in
21 that order. The practice normally is that supporting
22 materials are never disclosed. So I do hope that -- I
23 would request of the Defence counsel actually to
24 explain this to the accused person so that the accused
25 is aware that an order is going to be issued to rectify
Page 242
1 that problem, so that supporting materials are not
2 disclosed.
3 MR. KOSTIC: Your Honour, at the conclusion
4 of our proceedings today, I will inform Mr. Vukovic in
5 regard to your directive and answer any questions that
6 he might have in regard to the same.
7 JUDGE MUMBA: Yes. Thank you very much.
8 Since there are no other matters, I will
9 simply request the registrar to note the proceedings
10 and also to issue a date for the next proceedings that
11 may be necessary following the pleas that have been
12 taken.
13 Any other matters from the Prosecution?
14 MR. RYNEVELD: No, thank you, Your Honour.
15 JUDGE MUMBA: The Defence?
16 MR. KOSTIC: Your Honour, when I spoke to
17 Mr. Vukovic last night, he indicated to me that he was
18 in the process of selecting an attorney.
19 JUDGE MUMBA: Yes.
20 MR. KOSTIC: I do not know -- I did not have
21 the opportunity to review whether the attorney is on
22 the assigned counsel list or not, so I'm a little
23 behind on that issue, but I can tell you that the name
24 of the attorney is Goran, G-o-r-a-n, Jovanovic,
25 J-o-v-a-n-o-v-i-c who has offices in Belgrade,
Page 243
1 Yugoslavia, and I believe that Mr. Vukovic is in the
2 process of making arrangements to retain him or to name
3 him. I'm not sure which one it is, Your Honour. But
4 that is the attorney who he wants to have represent him
5 in regard to this case.
6 JUDGE MUMBA: Yes. Thank you very much.
7 Because it is clear that the accused has got the right
8 to select an attorney. If he can find one, all the
9 better; if not, then he would have to select the
10 attorney from the Registrar's list for purposes of his
11 trial. I do hope that the accused does understand
12 that.
13 MR. KOSTIC: Yes, Your Honour. We've talked
14 about that and I will again reiterate the same
15 directive to him.
16 JUDGE MUMBA: Thank you very much. I think
17 we have come to the end of our proceedings this
18 afternoon, and the court will adjourn.
19 --- Whereupon the hearing adjourned at
20 3.25 p.m. sine die
21
22
23
24
25