Serbia to have eight witnesses in dispute with Croatia

BELGRADE The Serbian side will have eight, and the Croatian one 12 witnesses during a public hearing before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. The case concerns the mutual genocide lawsuits that were filed by Zagreb and Belgrade, says the Belgrade-based daily Vecernje Novosti. Serbia to have eight witnesses in dispute with Croatia For this big legal battle that is due to take place in spring, Belgrade chose a team comprising around 10 Serbian and foreign experts, including William Schabas, professor of international law at Middlesex University in London. "I have been advising the Serbian government in the proceedings that are being conducted before the International Court of Justice in The Hague for several years now," Schabas confirmed for the daily, but could not comment on the preparations at this point. This professor is also a renowned expert on human rights law, genocide and the death penalty, who was elected President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars in 2009. Savo Strbac from the Veritas Documentation Center is the only expert witness from Serbia, and other seven witnesses with direct knowledge of the events, which the Serbian side alleges were genocidal actions, were either victims themselves or those were members of their families. Of the 12 witnesses that Zagreb has registered, three will be experts. According to Croatian media reports, a partner of the Croatian legal team will be James Crawford, professor at the University of Cambridge and expert on international law. He defended the positions of the British government in the proceedings related to the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo before the same court, disproving the argument that this is contrary to international law. Croatia filed a genocide lawsuit against Serbia in 1999, and the International Court of Justice decided in 2008 that it does have jurisdiction to hear the case. On January 4, 2009, Serbia lodged a counter-suit, charging Croatia with genocidal actions and the ethnic cleansing of over 400,000 Serbs from Croatia during the 1990s war. The lawsuit against Croatia also deals with the crimes which the Ustasha movement in the German Nazi-allied WW2 entity the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) committed against Serbs. Tanjug Vecernje novosti

Serbia to have eight witnesses in dispute with Croatia

For this big legal battle that is due to take place in spring, Belgrade chose a team comprising around 10 Serbian and foreign experts, including William Schabas, professor of international law at Middlesex University in London.

"I have been advising the Serbian government in the proceedings that are being conducted before the International Court of Justice in The Hague for several years now," Schabas confirmed for the daily, but could not comment on the preparations at this point.

This professor is also a renowned expert on human rights law, genocide and the death penalty, who was elected President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars in 2009.

Savo Štrbac from the Veritas Documentation Center is the only expert witness from Serbia, and other seven witnesses with direct knowledge of the events, which the Serbian side alleges were genocidal actions, were either victims themselves or those were members of their families.

Of the 12 witnesses that Zagreb has registered, three will be experts.

According to Croatian media reports, a partner of the Croatian legal team will be James Crawford, professor at the University of Cambridge and expert on international law. He defended the positions of the British government in the proceedings related to the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo before the same court, disproving the argument that this is contrary to international law.

Croatia filed a genocide lawsuit against Serbia in 1999, and the International Court of Justice decided in 2008 that it does have jurisdiction to hear the case.

On January 4, 2009, Serbia lodged a counter-suit, charging Croatia with genocidal actions and the ethnic cleansing of over 400,000 Serbs from Croatia during the 1990s war.

The lawsuit against Croatia also deals with the crimes which the Ustasha movement in the German Nazi-allied WW2 entity the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) committed against Serbs.