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ICTY Weekly Press Briefing - 27 May 2009

Date:  27.05.2009   
Time: 12:00

Registry and Chambers:

Nerma Jelačić, Spokesperson for Registry and Chambers, made the following statement:
 
I will start by highlighting three recent decisions pertaining to provisional release.

The Appeals Chamber granted Lahi Brahimaj’s request for provisional release on Monday, 25 May. Brahimaj has been granted provisional release pending the Appeals hearings in the case. His release is subject to strict conditions, will be supervised by the EULEX mission in Kosovo and the accused is expected to return to the DU at the time to be determined by the Appeals Chamber.

On 3 April 2008, Lahi Brahimaj was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for cruel treatment and torture of persons at the Jablanica/Jabllanicë headquarters of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).

Last Friday, Appeals Chamber granted Vladimir Lazarević’s request for temporary provisional release on compassionate grounds to take place from 25 May to 25 June. His release is subject to strict conditions and will be supervised by Serbian authorities. On 26 February Lazarević was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for deportation and forcible transfer of Kosovo Albanian citizens during the conflict there.

And finally, Mičo Stanišić has been ordered to return from provisional release and into the custody of UN ICTY     by Monday 8 June. Stanišić is expected to attend, together with his co-accused Stojan Župljanin, two status conferences which have been scheduled for 9 and 12 June.

The contempt trial for Vojislav Šešelj, leader of the Serb Radical Party will be held this Friday at 14:15 in courtroom I. Šešelj is accused of disclosing the name and other personal details of three protected witnesses in his trial before the Tribunal. Šešelj is alleged to have authored a book in which the information was published, along with other material such as excerpts of the written statement of one of these witnesses, the disclosure of which was prohibited.

In a scheduling order filed last week it was confirmed that the pre-defence conference for the contempt case against Florence Hartmann will take place on 15 June at 9:00 in courtroom I. The trial is expected to immediately follow the conference and conclude on 17 June.

As for the remaining court schedule:

Next week a status conference will be held in the case against Radovan Karadžić on Wednesday 3 June at 14:15 in courtroom I.

Also next week a pre-trial conference for the Jovica Stanišić and Franko Simatović case is scheduled to take place on Tuesday 2 June at 14:15 in courtroom I. The recommencement of the trial will be confirmed in due course.

In the Gotovina and others trial, the pre-Defence conference was held this morning. Tomorrow Ivan Čermak is expected to give his opening statement at 14:15 in courtroom I immediately followed by the opening statement of Mladen Markać, which could also continue into Friday. The Defence expects to call its first witness on Tuesday, 2 June.

On Friday the Popović et al. trial will sit to discuss procedural matters at 9:00 in courtroom I

The trials of Momčilo Perišić, Vlastimir Đorđevic and Prlić and others continue this week and next as scheduled.
   
Finally tomorrow there will be two events in the Tribunal: a regular diplomatic seminar followed by the launch of the ICTY Manual on Developed Practices a copy of which will also be available on our website.

And lastly, a reminder the Tribunal will be closed on Monday 1 June for a UN holiday.

Office of the Prosecutor:

Olga Kavran, Spokesperson for the Office of the Prosecutor, made no statement:

Questions:

A journalist asked what the status was on the war crimes trial against Vojislav Šešelj and if there were any link with this trial and his contempt trial. Jelačić said that the two cases were separate before two different chambers and that one does not exclude the other. Jelačić added that the main war crimes trial has been adjourned until the Trial Chamber decides otherwise and that no decisions have been filed at this time.