Hague: Five trials, two status conferences

In the second working week this year, five trials will continue before the Hague Tribunal. There will also be two status conferences, in the Momcilo Perisic case and in the case of the three Croatian generals charged with Operation Storm crimes. Hague: Five trials, two status conferences At the trial of seven Bosnian Serb military and police officers for genocide and other crimes in Srebrenica and Zepa in 1995, the court will hear evidence of Richard Butler, military analyst of the OTP and former U.S. Army intelligence officer, on Monday. Butler was commissioned by the OTP to analyze the documents seized in VRS headquarters which, according to the prosecution, speak of the planned, organized and coordinated nature of the mass executions of men and the deportation of women and children after the arrival of Mladic’s troops in July 1995. The trial of former Bosnian Croat leaders charged with HVO crimes in the course of the Croat-Muslim conflict in 1993 and 1994 continues next week. So does the trial of Rasim Delic, former commander of the Bosnian Muslim Army General Staff, indicted for failing to prevent or punish the Mujahideen crimes in Central Bosnia. The trial of Vojislav Seselj, the Serbian Radical Party leader charged with crimes in Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina and Vojvodina is expected to continue on Tuesday. Its future course will depend on the decision of the three-member panel considering the prosecution’s motion for the disqualification of Judge Frederik Harhoff from the Trial Chamber hearing the Seselj case. The panel was set up on the orders of the ICTY president to ascertain whether Judge Harhoff’s taking part in an interview of Isak Gashi, a prosecution witness due to testify against Seselj, might compromise his independence and impartiality. Judge Harhoff was as a Danish Helsinki Committee activist at the time. The defense case of general Vladimir Lazarevic, former VJ Pristina Corps commander, will continue after a one-month break. Lazarevic is on trial with five other former Serbian political, military and police officials, for crimes against the Albanian population on Kosovo in 1999. There will be two status conferences next week. The first has been scheduled for Tuesday, to discuss the preparations for the trial of Momcilo Perisic, former Chief of the General Staff in Belgrade. He is indicted because of the VJ support to Mladic’s troops in the siege and shelling of Sarajevo and the capture of Srebrenica. On Friday, January 18, 2008, there will be a status conference in the case of three Croatian generals, Ante Gotovina, Ivan Cermak and Mladen Markac, charged with crimes committed against ethnic Serbs in the course of and after Operation Storm in the summer of 1995. One of the topics is expected to be the trial date. Another topic that might be discussed is the motion filed by Markac’s defense against the decision of the duty judge ordering Markac's arrest and return to the Tribunal’s Detention Unit for violation of the terms of provisional release.

Hague: Five trials, two status conferences

At the trial of seven Bosnian Serb military and police officers for genocide and other crimes in Srebrenica and Žepa in 1995, the court will hear evidence of Richard Butler, military analyst of the OTP and former U.S. Army intelligence officer, on Monday.

Butler was commissioned by the OTP to analyze the documents seized in VRS headquarters which, according to the prosecution, speak of the planned, organized and coordinated nature of the mass executions of men and the deportation of women and children after the arrival of Mladić’s troops in July 1995.

The trial of former Bosnian Croat leaders charged with HVO crimes in the course of the Croat-Muslim conflict in 1993 and 1994 continues next week. So does the trial of Rasim Delić, former commander of the Bosnian Muslim Army General Staff, indicted for failing to prevent or punish the Mujahideen crimes in Central Bosnia.

The trial of Vojislav Šešelj, the Serbian Radical Party leader charged with crimes in Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina and Vojvodina is expected to continue on Tuesday. Its future course will depend on the decision of the three-member panel considering the prosecution’s motion for the disqualification of Judge Frederik Harhoff from the Trial Chamber hearing the Šešelj case.

The panel was set up on the orders of the ICTY president to ascertain whether Judge Harhoff’s taking part in an interview of Isak Gashi, a prosecution witness due to testify against Šešelj, might compromise his independence and impartiality. Judge Harhoff was as a Danish Helsinki Committee activist at the time.

The defense case of general Vladimir Lazarević, former VJ Priština Corps commander, will continue after a one-month break. Lazarević is on trial with five other former Serbian political, military and police officials, for crimes against the Albanian population on Kosovo in 1999.

There will be two status conferences next week. The first has been scheduled for Tuesday, to discuss the preparations for the trial of Momcilo Perišić, former Chief of the General Staff in Belgrade. He is indicted because of the VJ support to Mladić’s troops in the siege and shelling of Sarajevo and the capture of Srebrenica.

On Friday, January 18, 2008, there will be a status conference in the case of three Croatian generals, Ante Gotovina, Ivan Čermak and Mladen Markač, charged with crimes committed against ethnic Serbs in the course of and after Operation Storm in the summer of 1995.

One of the topics is expected to be the trial date. Another topic that might be discussed is the motion filed by Markač’s defense against the decision of the duty judge ordering Markač's arrest and return to the Tribunal’s Detention Unit for violation of the terms of provisional release.