On the December 1, 2017, the ICTY initiated an independent expert investigation in relation to the death of Slobodan Praljak, which was led by Hassan B. Jallow, the Chief Judge of Gambia and the former Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT).
The investigation was finalized on December 29, 2017, and it was forwarded to the Register, which further forwarded it to relevant institutions within the United Nations.
The conclusion of the examination done by Judge Jallow follows:
“My Review has not exposed any gaps or flaws in the ICTY legal framework with regard to the treatment of detainees at the UNDU [United Nations Detention Unit] and the ICTY premises and I am therefore not proposing any changes to ICTY rules and regulations.
Further, the Review shows that the legal framework was complied with by UNDU Officers, Security Officers, and other ICTY staff with regard to the treatment of Mr. Praljak.
As set out in my Conclusions, without specific intelligence (which there was none), and remaining within the limits of the Nelson Mandela Rules, there are no measures that would have guaranteed detection of the poison at any stage.
Notwithstanding this, the Review has pointed to some measures that could be taken in order to increase the likelihood of detection in future cases.”
Regarding the poison that Prljak had in his possession, Judge Jallow stated:
“The substance taken by Mr. Praljak was analysed and discovered to be potassium cyanide. It is not possible to acquire potassium cyanide legally inside the prison or from illicitly manufacturing it from items available inside prison. Potassium cyanide can be transported as a powder or dissolved in water. The amount of potassium cyanide required to make up a lethal dose is 200-300 mg (this equates in size to a single tablet).”
Judge Jallow also said that it is not possible to finally determine how Praljak procured the poison but the further criminal investigation before the Dutch authorities could resolve this case.
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia continues with its deep gratitude to Judge Jallow, the entire team of experts and everyone who cooperated in this process with highest degree of professionalism.
(Source: N1)
