Tribunal Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia

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 1                           Thursday, 26 January 2012

 2                           [Status Conference]

 3                           [Open session]

 4                           [The appellants entered court]

 5                           --- Upon commencing at 3.26 p.m.

 6             JUDGE MERON:  Please be seated.

 7             Registrar, would you please call the case.

 8             THE REGISTRAR:  Good afternoon, Your Honour.  This is case

 9     IT-06-90-A, the Prosecutor versus Gotovina and Markac.

10             JUDGE MERON:  Thank you.  Let me start by ensuring that all the

11     audio equipment is working properly.

12             Mr. Gotovina, I wanted to make sure that you can hear the

13     proceedings in a language that you understand.

14             THE APPELLANT GOTOVINA: [No interpretation]

15             JUDGE MERON:  Thank you, Mr. Gotovina.

16             Mr. Markac.  Can you hear --

17             THE APPELLANT MARKAC:  [Interpretation] Yes, I can.  Thank you.

18             JUDGE MERON:  Thank you very much, Mr. Markac.

19             Appearances of the parties.  Prosecution.

20             MS. ELLIOTT:  Good afternoon, Your Honour.  Ingrid Elliott for

21     the Prosecution.  I'm joined today by Senior Prosecution Counsel

22     Helen Brady, Senior Appeals Counsel Douglas Stringer, and our

23     Case Manager Lourdes Galicia.  Thank you.

24             JUDGE MERON:  Thanks.  Just one second.  There's one technical

25     problem.


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 1                           [Trial Chamber and Legal Officer confer]

 2             JUDGE MERON:  Okay.  I'll manage this time without it.

 3             Registrar, would you make sure that in the future the computer is

 4     properly adjusted from one case to another before I come in.  Thank you.

 5     So we'll just proceed without that.

 6             Counsel for Mr. Gotovina.

 7             MR. KEHOE:  Good afternoon, Your Honour.  Gregory Kehoe for

 8     General Gotovina, along with Luka Misetic to my right, and to my far

 9     right, Mr. Guenael Mettraux.

10             JUDGE MERON:  Thank you very much.

11             Counsel for Mr. Markac.

12             MR. MIKULICIC:  Good afternoon, Your Honour, everyone in the

13     courtroom.  My name is Goran Mikulicic.  On my left side is

14     Mr. Tom Kuzmanovic and Mr. John Jones, and on my right side is

15     Mr. Vlado Rendulic, our Case Manager.

16             JUDGE MERON: [Microphone not activated] Thank you, Mr. Mikulicic.

17             As you're all aware, Rule --

18             THE INTERPRETER:  Microphone, Your Honour.

19             JUDGE MERON:  As you're all aware, Rule 65 bis (B) of the

20     Rules of Procedure and Evidence requires a Status Conference to be

21     convened within 120 days after the filing of a Notice of Appeal and,

22     thereafter, within 120 days after the last Status Conference for each

23     appellant in the Tribunal's custody.

24             A Status Conference serves two primary purposes.  First, it

25     allows the appellants to express concerns relating to their appeal or


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 1     detention conditions.  Second, it provides an opportunity to update the

 2     appellants with respect to the status of their case.

 3             The Status Conference is also an opportunity for the Tribunal to

 4     inquire about the mental and physical condition of the detained person.

 5             In the present case, the last Status Conference was held on

 6     29 September 2011.  Today's Status Conference was scheduled by an order

 7     issued on 6 January 2012.

 8             I would like to begin this Status Conference inquiring into

 9     Mr. Gotovina's and Mr. Markac's health.

10             If either Mr. Gotovina or Mr. Markac would prefer this discussion

11     to take place in closed session, that will be fine with me.

12             Is there any need to close the session, Mr. Gotovina?

13             THE APPELLANT GOTOVINA: [Interpretation] Thank you for asking,

14     Your Honour, but it's all right.  There is no need.

15             JUDGE MERON:  So we can proceed with an open session.

16             THE APPELLANT GOTOVINA:  Thank you.

17             JUDGE MERON:  So, I hope you have been well, Mr. Gotovina, and

18     there are no problems with regard to your physical well-being or mental

19     well-being.

20             THE APPELLANT GOTOVINA: [Interpretation] Thank you for asking,

21     Your Honour.  I am all right.

22             JUDGE MERON:  Thank you, Mr. Gotovina.

23             Mr. Markac, the same question, you have been well, I hope.

24             THE APPELLANT MARKAC: [Interpretation] Your Honour, my condition

25     is not good and currently the medical service at the Detention Unit is


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 1     taking adequate measures.  Thank you.

 2             JUDGE MERON:  Thank you.  I hope you will be better, and that if

 3     you are sick, I will be informed.

 4             Now, let me turn to an update of the procedural history of this

 5     case.

 6             Currently there are a number of pending motions and applications.

 7     On 4 November 2011, counsel for Mr. Gotovina filed the public redacted

 8     version of Appellant Ante Gotovina's motion to admit new evidence

 9     pursuant to Rule 115.  On 13 January 2012, the Appeals Chamber received

10     the application and proposed amicus curiae brief concerning the

11     15 April 2011 Trial Chamber judgement and requesting that the

12     Appeals Chamber consider the findings of unlawful artillery attacks

13     during Operation Storm.  These motions will be decided in due course.

14             In addition to the motions just mentioned, there are a number of

15     confidential motions currently pending.  These motions will also be

16     decided in due course.

17             I take this opportunity to inform the parties that the appeals

18     hearing in this case will likely take place in the spring.  Once the date

19     for the hearing has been set, a Scheduling Order will be issued.

20             At this point I would like to ask the parties whether they have

21     any other issues that they would like to raise at this time.

22             The Prosecution?

23             MS. ELLIOTT:  No, thank you, Your Honour.

24             JUDGE MERON:  No issues by the Prosecution to raise.

25             Mr. Kehoe.


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 1             MR. KEHOE:  Nothing, Your Honour.  Thank you.

 2             JUDGE MERON:  Mr. Mikulicic.

 3             MR. MIKULICIC:  Nothing as well, Your Honour.  Thank you.

 4             JUDGE MERON:  Well, thank you very much for attending this

 5     meeting, and since there are no other matters to be raised, I will simply

 6     thank everybody for your attendance and call the proceedings to a close.

 7             The Court will rise.

 8                           --- Whereupon the Status Conference adjourned

 9                           at 3.37 p.m.

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