The Trial Chamber dismissed the urgent motion filed by the former chief of the Serbian State Security Service to spend the Tribunal’s winter recess in Belgrade


Although Judge Orie’s trial chamber concluded that the accused would return to The Hague for the trial after the winter break, would not endanger victims, witnesses or anyone else, today the judges dismissed Jovica Stanisic’s urgent motion to be provisionally released for the winter recess.

The main reason for this decision on Stanisic’s motion is the judges’ conclusion that the physical and mental health of the accused might deteriorate if he were to go to Belgrade, which might in turn disrupt or even stop the trial. The Trial Chamber concluded this after considering the regular reports filed by the Dutch physicians and specialists who are currently treating the accused. In the last few months, the doctors reported continuous improvements in the health of the accused. When Stanisic was granted provisional release last time, his health deteriorated significantly: in the ten months of provisional release, Stanisic was hospitalized fifteen times at the Belgrade Military Medical Academy.

The other accused, Franko Simatovic, will spend the winter recess in Belgrade on provisional release. Former chief of the VJ General Staff Momcilo Perisic and Mico Stanisic, first Bosnian Serb interior minister, were also granted provisional release.

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