The Trial Chamber of the Hague Tribunal rejected the request of the defense of Ratko Mladic to suspend the proceedings until a decision on the appeal that was filed by the Defense on the terms of the briefs and closing arguments is made.
According to that decision, the deadline for submission of final written submissions of defense and prosecution is the 25th of October, while the oral closing arguments will be presented from the 5th to 15th of December.
Mladic’s defense team appealed the decision, arguing that they could not prepare final arguments in time because of the lack of logistical support of court services.
On the appeal will decide the Appellate Chamber of the Tribunal. According to the rules of the court, that cannot delay the deadlines, which is why Mladic’s defense requested the temporary suspension of the proceedings until the final decision on the appeal is not reached.
The judges noted that if the defense appeal is accepted and the deadlines are extended, after both sides submit written closing submissions, the defense will be able to supplement their later.
If the appeal of the defense is denied, the accused Mladic, according to the Trial Chamber, will suffer no damage.
Mladic, as the Commander of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS), is indicted for committing genocide in Srebrenica, persecution of Muslims and Croats throughout the territory of BiH that had the scale of genocide in the six municipalities, as well as for terrorizing civilians in Sarajevo and taking UNPROFOR members as hostages.
According to framework plan of the ICTY, the first instance verdict to Ratko Mladic should be pronounced by November 2017.
(Source: faktor.ba)
