THE HAGUE | 03.06.2012.
Next Week at the Tribunal

WEEK OF EMPTY COURTROOMS

Next week, only Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic are due back in court for an administrative hearing. The former chiefs of the Serbian State Security Service are charged with crimes committed by the police and paramilitary units in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina

The courtrooms at the Tribunal will remain empty for the best part of the next week. On Thursday, there will be an administrative hearing in the case against the two former chiefs of the Serbian State Security Service, Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic. They are charged with the crimes committed by the Serbian police and paramilitary units under their control in the wars in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1991 to 1995.

The hearing will focus on the outstanding administrative issues, including the motion to extend the deadline for the submission of final briefs from July to late August 2012 for the prosecution and late September 2012 for the defense.

Simatovic’s defense rested its case last week with the evidence of its 14^th witness, Radivoje Micic, who served as Simatovic’s subordinate in the counter-intelligence group run by the Serbian State Security Service. After Micic completed his evidence, Radenko Novakovic, former operative in the State Security Center in Uzice was recalled to be re-examined by the prosecution. Novakovic was one of the 19 witnesses called by Stanisic’s defense. His examination-in chief was completed in October 2011.

The prosecution has examined 62 witnesses and has announced it would use documents to rebut parts of the defense’s case. It remains unclear if the prosecution will seek leave to call additional witnesses. The Trial Chamber has indicated it would call several witnesses whose evidence may last until the end of June 2012.