By the end of this week, the Trial Chamber may decide on the start date for the trial of Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic, the number of prosecution witnesses and the time for their examination. The video conference link with the UN Detention Unit – available to Stanisic if he wishes to follow the trial from there – was tested today: Dr. Eekhof was on the line


At a pre-trial conference in the case of former chief of Serbian state security service Jovica Stanisic and his assistant Franko Simatovic, a video conference link was established for the first time between the UN Detention Unit. Stanisic can use this link if he wants to follow the trial from there. Instead of Stanisic who waived his right to attend the conference, Dr. Eekhof appeared on the screen giving some additional clarifications about the health of the accused.

Dr. Eekhof had previously submitted a report to the Chamber stating that doctors were trying to establish the cause of Stanisic’s fainting spells. As Dr. Eekhof noted, this was in fact ‘assumed loss of consciousnesses because nobody has seen Stanisic ‘purported fainting spells’. Stanisic’s back pain is, according to Dr. Eekhof, ‘less severe’ but Stanisic still is not able to sit for more than 10 minutes. Dr. Eekhof added that Stanisic could follow the trial from a bed for a period of up to one hour. This assessment is based on the ‘observation of the patient and not facts’.

On the eve of the pre-trial conference, the Tribunal made public the decision on the modalities for the trial. The decision notes that an independent medical expert would deliver a report on Stanisic’s health before the trial; based on that report, the Trial Chamber will establish if Stanisic is well enough to participate in the trial either in courtroom or via video link from the detention unit. If Stanisic doesn’t feel well, the Trial Chamber will suspend the trial until next scheduled hearing, the decision concluded.

Some issues, such as the number of witnesses the prosecution will call, the time prosecution will spend to examine them and the date for the prosecution opening statement were not resolved before the end of the pre-trial conference. The Trial Chamber will rule on that by the end of the week, after the prosecution has submitted a revised witness list and after the defense teams have their schedule in cases before other tribunals.

The Trial Chamber issued an oral decision granting the prosecution motion to add Ratko Mladic’s notebook to the list of exhibits. As presiding judge Orie put it, the entries in the notebook refer to ‘Jovica Stanisic’s role in the VJ and VRS operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1995 and his ties with paramilitary units from Erdut and Djeletovci’. Stanisic and Simatovic are charged with crimes committed in Croatia and BH from 1991 to 1995.

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