The Trial Chamber orders the prosecution to reduce the number of incidents in Croatia and BH listed in the indictment against the former chiefs of the Serbian State Security Service. No trial date has been set yet, but it seems likely to begin this spring


Pre-trial judge Patrick Robinsons today ordered the prosecution to reduce scope of the indictment against Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic. The number of incidents in Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina the two former heads of the Serbian State Security Service are charged with has to be reduced by one third.

In November 2007, the prosecution rejected with ‘all due respect’ the request of the Trial Chamber to reduce the scope of the indictment against Stanisic and Simatovic, arguing it was against the interest of justice and victims. At the same time, the prosecution said it was ready not to call evidence on some incidents in the indictment if ordered to do so by the Trial Chamber. This would reduce the total number of incidents in the indictment by a third.

Today, Judge Robinson dismissed the prosecution arguments against the reduction of the indictment, and accepted the ‘proposal’ whereby no evidence would be called about a number of incidents in Krajina, eastern Slavonia and BH. The OTP was ordered to submit an amended indictment and a revised witness list, together with an estimate of the time it would need to present its case. No trial date has been set yet, but it is likely to begin this spring.

Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic are charged on five counts with persecution of the non-Serb population on political, ethnic and religious grounds, murder, deportation and forceful transfer of population from large parts of Croatia and BH between May 1991 and December 1995.

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