ICTY Press Briefing - 8 May 2002

Please note that this is not a verbatim transcript of the Press Briefing. It is merely a summary.

ICTY Weekly Press Briefing
Date: 08.05.2002
Time: 2:00 p.m.

REGISTRY AND CHAMBERS

Christian Chartier, Head, Public Information Services, made the following statement:

Good afternoon to all,

The date has been set earlier today for the initial appearance of Momcilo Gruban, Friday 10 May at 11.15 a.m. in Courtroom 1 before Judge Robinson.

Let me continue with court proceeding matters:

- The six on-going cases will continue as initially scheduled, only subject to time and/or courtroom alterations. I would thus like to invite you to consult the public information screen in the lobby in order to know the exact location and timing.

- Actually the number of cases handled in court will reach the new mark of 8 this week: on Friday, two Status Conferences will take place, both in Courtroom 1, in the case The Prosecutor against Krajisnik and Plavsic, and in the case The Prosecutor against Banovic and Fustar, respectively. The first Status Conference will begin at 9.00 a.m., the other one at noon.

Turning to court documents, I would like to single out an important Decision issued on Thursday 2 May by the Appeals Chamber in the case The Prosecutor against Goran Jelisic.

- In this Decision, the Appeals Chamber, presided over by Judge Shahabuddeen, disposes of the Motion for review filed in December 2001 by Goran Jelisic with respect to the sentence of 40 years imposed upon him in July 2001.

- This Motion was based on the development, since the sentencing of the accused, in the case law of the Tribunal as to the approach taken by Judges on the value of a guilty plea and the showing of remorse as mitigating factors.

- The Judges considered that this was not a new fact within the meaning of the provisions in the Statute and in the Rules with regard to review proceedings. A new fact refers to new information of an evidentiary nature, and the appellant's arguments are not of an evidentiary nature and cannot constitute a new fact. Accordingly the Motion for Review is dismissed.

- This Decision means that the judgement of Jelisic and his conviction to 40 years are definite. The next step will be the transfer of the accused to a prison where he will serve the remainder of his sentence. Arrangements are being discussed to that effect.

- The case The Prosecutor against Goran Jelisic is now completed, which brings the number of completed cases to 16, including 5 acquittals and 11 convictions.

Let me stay with the Appeals Chamber and indicate to you some interesting filings:

- Firstly the public redacted version of the Defence Appeal Brief in the case The Prosecutor against Radislav Krstic;

- secondly, an appeal by Dragan Jokic against the Trial Chamber Decision denying his request for provisional release; and a motion by the same accused to present additional evidence in support of his appeal;

- finally, in the case The Prosecutor against Slobodan Milosevic the translation into English of the Decision by a bench of the Appeals Chamber of 25 April, rejecting the Prosecutor's application for leave to appeal against the Trial Chamber order that the prosecution case should be concluded by 10 April 2003.

In terms of first instance filings, the following:

- In the case The Prosecutor against Radoslav Brdjanin and Momir Talic, a Decision by Judge Schomburg, presiding Judge of Trial Chamber II, to dismiss a joint Defence motion to disqualify the Judge presiding over the trial;

- in the case The Prosecutor against Slobodan Milosevic, the first Decision by Trial Chamber III on the prosecution motion for protective measures for sensitive sources witnesses;

- and finally, the Pre-trial brief of the Prosecution in the case The Prosecutor against Momcilo Krajisnik and Biljana Plavsic.

As usual, we have prepared copies of these documents for you.

Jean-Jacques Joris, Special Adviser to the Prosecutor, made no statement:

Questions:

Asked whether the issuing of the decision on Thursday 2 May by the Appeals Chamber in the case The Prosecutor against Goran Jelisic would impact on the confidentiality of the initial motion, Chartier replied that he thought the document would remain confidential, he was happy to check this fact, he added.

*****