ASP concludes 14th session in The Hague: The 14th session of the ASP concluded last week after meeting from 18-26 November in The Hague. The key issues discussed and presented at the session by the State Parties included the ICC’s budget, effectiveness, independence, cooperation and the need for States to incorporate or enhance domestic mechanisms to prosecute atrocity crimes. Victims’ participation, rights and protection were also discussed, as well as gender crimes and how to enhance the ICC’s impact on the ground. There was also discussion about the conflict in Syria and south-eastern Ukraine and how to avoid impunity for any crimes being committed. The main decisions that resulted were a budget increase of 6.83%, the deletion of article 124 of the Rome Statute, and the election of Mama Koité Doumbia to the Trust Fund for Victims. (Coalition for the ICC, ICC ASP Sessions Documentation)
ICTY indicts 3, including lawyers, for contempt in Seselj case: On Tuesday, 1 December 2015, the ICTY unveiled arrest warrants previously issued confidentially on 19 January 2015 for Mr. Jojić and Ms. Radeta, members of Vojislav Šešelj’s defence team, as well as for Jovo Ostojić. The individuals have been charged with contempt of the Tribunal for allegedly having threatened, intimidated, offered bribes to, or otherwise interfered with two witnesses in the trial against Vojislav Šešelj and a related contempt charge against him. The warrants reportedly state that Mr. Jojić pressured a witness to give defence a statement which was “untruthful” and “contained false allegations”. Ms. Radeta reportedly persuaded a prosecution witness to testify for the defence in exchange for help and payments. Šešelj is accused of leading Serb volunteers in a campaign to “cleanse” large parts of Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia’s northern Vojvodina region. (Global Post, ICTY Press Release)
Serbian historian testifies for Mladic: Serbian historian Milos Kovic testified in Ratko Mladic’s defence stating that the Bosnian Serbs’ key actions during the war occurred as a response to Bosniak and Croat secession moves and aspirations for sovereignty. Kovic told the ICTY that the conflict “was a secessionist civil war in which the Serbs tried to stay together and respond to the secessionist moves.” Kovic stated his opinion that prosecution experts Patrick Traynot and Tobert Donia were “taking the facts out of context of history.” He said that the Bosnian Serb Army’s actions in Sarajevo were provoked by blockades of the Yugoslav People’s Army barracks in the city in 1992 and the creation of militias that evolved into the Bosnian Army. During cross-examination, Kovic stated “I do not deny the suffering of the Muslim civilians in Sarajevo and Bosnia” in response to a question by prosecutor Arthur Traldi, but also said that Donia did not mention the Serb victims in the capital. (Balkan Insight)
ECCC accused, Samphan, excuses co-international lawyer: According to a letter
released by the ECCC Monday, 30 November 2015 Khieu Samphan has excused International Co-Lawyer Arthur Vercken from his defence team after the French attorney decided to cease representing him in the second phase of Case 002. Although Mr. Vercken was present at the first appeal hearing on 17 November he would not be part of the rest of the appeal process. According to a letter by Khieu Samphan, Mr. Vercken returned to France shortly after the attack in Paris. Victor Koppe, international defence counsel for Nuon Chea informed the court on 23 November that he would continue representing his client. (The Cambodia Daily)
Pakistan reacts to Bangladesh accusation of war crimes: On Monday, 30 November 2015 Pakistan denied that its armed forces had committed war crimes during Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971 in response to criticisms by the Bangladesh government. Pakistan rejected Bangladesh’s assertions that Islamabad was complicit in crimes of war or atrocities during the struggle of independence against Pakistan as “baseless and unfounded”. A spokesperson for Pakistan said that the State [desires to] further enhance relations with Bangladesh, and that the 1974 Tripartite Agreement is the bedrock of relations between the two countries. (Pakistan Today, Daily Times, The Hindu)
The post 1 December 2015 – NEWS ABOUT THE COURTS – ASP 14th session, ICTY contempt warrants, testimony for Mladic, ECCC counsel withdrawn, and more appeared first on ICL Media Review.