| Please note that this is not a verbatim transcript of the Press Briefing. It is merely a summary. ICTY Weekly Press Briefing Registry and Chambers: Jim Landale, Spokesman for Registry and Chambers, made the following statement: Good afternoon, The President of the ICTY, Judge Theodor Meron, addressed the United Nations Security Council yesterday in New York. Most of you should have received our press release containing the text of the President’s speech yesterday evening. Additional copies of the speech will be available after this. I would also draw your attention to the press release that you should all have received on the election by the General Assembly of the ICTY’s 14 permanent Judges that we sent out a few days ago. I would just like to underline the fact that the four-year term of office for the Judges commences on 17 November 2005 and expires in 2009. For the record, the following Judges were elected: Carmel A. Agius (Malta) Jean-Claude Antonetti (France) Iain Bonomy (United Kingdom) O-gon Kwon (Republic of Korea) Liu Daqun (China) Theodor Meron (United States of America) Bakone Melema Moloto (South Africa) Alphonsus Martinus Maria Orie (Netherlands) Kevin Horace Parker (Australia) Fausto Pocar (Italy) Patrick Lipton Robinson (Jamaica) Wolfgang Schomburg (Germany) Mohamed Shahabuddeen (Guyana) Christine Van Den Wyngaert (Belgium) On behalf of the Tribunal’s Outreach Programme: On Saturday, 20 November 2004, The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Republika Srpska and the Tribunal’s Outreach Programme held a conference in Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, entitled "ICTY Cases in Relation to War Crimes Committed in Konjic". The event enabled the Tribunal to provide key audiences – victims’ associations, municipal authorities, judicial officials and law enforcement agencies, as well as local politicians and civil society representatives – with a detailed and comprehensive picture of the Tribunal’s activities in relation to allegations of serious violations of international humanitarian law in Konjic during the 1992-1995 armed conflict. The focus of the conference was on the Celebici case, which concerned allegations of crimes committed in 1992 against Bosnian Serb detainees in a prison camp located in the Konjic municipality. Senior ICTY officials who were involved in that case described the investigations into the crimes in question, the evidence presented before the court, and the facts that were established during the trial. Reactions of the conference audience highlighted the need to bring to justice perpetrators of all crimes, regardless of the nationality of the victims or the perpetrators. By presenting its work to the local community, the Tribunal hopes to encourage the domestic authorities to act upon information regarding violations of international humanitarian law received from victims and witnesses and to bring additional charges where evidence exists regarding crimes committed in the Konjic region. The conference was the third in a series entitled "Bridging the Gap Between the ICTY and Communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina" in which the Tribunal deals directly with the immediate communities most affected by the crimes at the heart of ICTY cases. This series of events is generously supported by the "Neighbourhood Programme" of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This week, Outreach is hosting a group of law students from Osijek, Croatia, who are participating in a study visit of the Tribunal. They are attending court proceedings and presentations given by various ICTY officials who are explaining the work of the Tribunal to the group. Next week is another busy week, with the Milosevic, Limaj et al., Oric, Hadzihasanovic and Kubura, and Krajisnik trials will continue in all three of our courtrooms. In addition, starting on Wednesday 1 December at 3 p.m. in Courtroom III and continuing on Thursday afternoon and all day Friday, there will be a motion hearing following a Rule 54 bis application from Dragoljub Ojdanic. In The Prosecutor v. Dario Kordic and Mario Cerkez, the Appeals Chamber will render its judgement on Appeal on 17 December 2004 at 2.15 p.m. in Courtroom I. A reminder that the oral arguments on appeal in The Prosecutor v. Dragan Nikolic, will be held on 29 November 2004, as I announced last week. There will be status conferences in The Prosecutor v. Prlic et al. this afternoon at 3 p.m. in Courtroom III; in The Prosecutor v. Pasko Ljubicic on 25 November at 3 p.m. in Courtroom I; in The Prosecutor v. Momir Nikolic on 26 November at 2.30 p.m. in Courtroom I; and in The Prosecutor v. Miroslav Deronjic on 30 November at 3 p.m. in Courtroom II. Office of the Prosecutor: No representative was present from the Office of the Prosecutor. Questions: Asked if the ICTY expected any action to be taken after President Meron’s addresses to both the General Assembly and the Security Council, especially pertaining to cooperation, Landale answered that the Tribunal did expect action to be taken. The Tribunal expected states to act in line with their binding legal obligations to cooperate fully with the ICTY, and not only after reports to the General Assembly and the Security Council. Landale stated that first and foremost, as highlighted in the speeches, cooperation meant the apprehension and transfer of people indicted by the Tribunal, as well as improvement and continuation of cooperation in all other spheres. That was something that should be happening at all times not just in the run-up to an address being given, or in its aftermath, he added. Asked what would happen if the Completion Strategy was successful with the trials finishing up in 2008, would the Trial Chamber Judges be salaried from January to November 2009, Landale said that would get back to the journalist. Asked that, since Momcilo Mandic was on a black list and his assets were frozen by the international community, how he was able to come to The Hague to testify in the Krajisnik trial, Landale said that he had sought that information but did not yet have a clear answer. He would get back to the journalist when and if he received information that he could make public. Documents: The Prosecutor v Fatmir Limaj, Haradin Bala and Isak Musliu 22 November 2004 – Decision on the Prosecution’s Motion for Protective Measures at Trial. (7pgs) The Prosecutor v Enver Hadzihasanovic and Amir Kubura 19 November 2004 – Joint Defence Reply to Prosecution Response to Joint Defence Interlocutory Appeal of Trial Chamber Decision on Enver Hadzihasanovic and Amir Kubura’s Rule 98bis Motions for Acquittal. (10pgs) The Prosecutor v. Rahim Ademi and Mirko Norac 18 November 2004 – Response to Prosecutor’s Further Submission in Support of the Motion of the Prosecution Under Rule 11bis. (3pgs) The Prosecutor v. Vojislav Seselj 8 November 2004 – Request by the Accused for Trial Chamber II to Seek Through the Security Council or the General Assembly an Advisory Opinion from the International Court of Justice on the Legality of the Establishment of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia on the Basis of UN Security Council Resolutions no. 827 and 888. (21pgs) 8 November 2004 – Request by the Accused to the Bureau to Disqualify the President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Theodor Meron, from the Trial and Decision-Making Process in the Case of the Prosecutor Vs. Prof. Vojislav Seselj. (20pgs) 8 November 2004 – Motion by the Accused for Disqualification of the Appeals Chamber – Presiding Judge Theodor Meron, Judge Fausto Pocar, Judge Mohamed Shahabuddeen, Judge Mehmet Guney, Judge Ines Monica Weinberg de Roca. (18pgs) 17 November 2004 – Prosecution’s Response to the Accused’s Request for an Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice. (2pgs) 18 November 2004 – Decision. (2pgs) The Prosecutor v. Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic 18 November 2004 – Report to the Trial Chamber Pursuant to "Decision on Confidential Prosecution Motions for Protective Measures" of 26 October 2004 and Application to Amend Witness List. (2pgs) The Prosecutor v. Naser Oric 17 November 2004 – First Supplement to Defence Rule 68 Motion. (20pgs) 18 November 2004 – Urgent Motion Regarding Late Disclosure of Evidence and to Recall a Witness. (7pgs) ***** |