INTERNATIONAL COURTOFWSTICE
PeacePalace,2517 KJTheHague.Tel:+31 (0)70302 23 23. Cables:Intercourt,
TheHague.Fax:+31 (0)70 364 9928. Telex:32323.E-mailaddress:
[email protected]:http://www.icj-cij.org.
Press Release
Unofficial
N° 2006/10
16 March 2006
Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
(Bosnia and Herzegovina v. Serbia and Montenegro)
Schedule of hearings of witnesses, experts and witness-experts
to be held from 17 to 28 March 2006
THE HAGUE, 16 March 2006. As announced previously in press releases 2005/27 and
2006/7, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), principal judicial organ of the United Nations, will
hear witnesses, experts and witness-experts from 28 March 2006 in the public hearings in the
case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide (Bosnia and Herzegovina v. Serbia and Montenegro).
The hearingof witnesses, experts and witness-experts will commence every morning at
10 a.m. (except on Tuesday 21 Marchand during weekends, when there will be no hearings) in the
Great Hall of Justice of the Peace Palace in The Hague, seat of the Court.
The hearings will be conducted as follows: examination by the Party calling the witness;
cross-examination by the other Party; re-examination (if desired) by the Party calling the witness;
any questions by Members of the Court.
Sorne witnesses, experts and witness-experts will testify in SerbTheir testimony
will be interpreted consecutively into French or English.
Special rules regarding the disclosure of the content of witness statements
With a view to ensuring the sound administration of justice and the proper conduct of
witness proceedings, and in order to enable witnesses, experts and witness-experts to give their
testimony in full independence, certain special rules will apply.
The general public will be allowed to attend the hearings on condition that it does not
disclose the content of testimony. Verbatim records of the hearings of 17 to 28 March 2006 will
not be published daily on the Court's website, but will be made public at the end of the hearings, on
Tuesday 28 March at 6 p.m.
Representatives of the media will be asked to respect a code of condthey will be
allowed to attend the proceedings and make photographs and sound recordings on the explicit
condition that they will not make public the content of testimony before Tuesday 28 March at -2-
6 p.m. If representatives of the media breach this embargo, their accreditation will be withdrawn
and access to the remainder of the proceedings refused.
Detailed schedule of the hearings
The following witnesses, experts and witness-experts will testify before the Court:
For Bosnia and Herzegovina:
Friday 17 March 2006
Mr. Andnis J.Riedlmayer (in English)
Bibliographer, Documentation Center of the Aga Khan Program for Islarnic Architecture,
Fine Arts Library, Harvard University. His testimony will be on issues relating to the destruction
of the cultural and religions heritage in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Monday 20 March 2006
General Sir Richard Dannatt (in English)
Commander-in-Chief, British Land Command. His testimony will be on rnilitary issues.
For Serbia and Montenegro:
Wednesday 22 March 2006
Mr. Zoran Lilié(in Serbo-Croat)
Former President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (RFY). His testimony will be on
the relationship between the political leaderships of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and
Republika Srpska.
Thursday 23 March 2006
Mr. Vladimir Lukié(in Serbo-Croat)
Former President of the Government of Republika Srpska; also present in Dayton as an
expert on maps. His testimony will be on the relationship between the political leaderships of the
FRY and Republika Srpska.
Mr. Vitomir Popovié(in Serbo-Croat)
Former Vice-President of the Government of Republika Srpska; currently Ombudsman for
Bosnia and Herzegovina. His testimony will be on the relationship between the political
leaderships of the FRY and Republika Srpska and on the crimes comrnitted on the territory of
Bosnia and Herzegovina. - 3 -
Friday 24 March 2006
General Sir Michael Rose (in English)
Former Commander of the United Nations Protection Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina. His
testimony will be on the relationship between the armies of Republika Srpska and the FRY, as weil
as on allegations of genocide.
Mr. Jean-Paul Sardon (in French)
Director for Research at the French National Institute for Demographie Studies. His
testimony will be on the number of victims of the conflict.
Monday 27 March 2006
Mr. Dusan Mihajlovié (in Serbo-Croat)
Former Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Serbia. His testimony will be on the
relationship between the politicalleadershipsof the FRY and Republika Srpska.
Mr. Vladimir Miliéevié(in Serbo-Croat)
Former Head of Police for Foreign Nationals in Krusevac (Serbia). His testimony will be on
the treatment accorded in Serbia to Muslim refugees from Srebrenica and Zepa in 1995 after the
fallof Srebrenica.
Tuesday 28 March 2006
Mr. Dragoljub Miéunovié(in Serbo-Croat)
Former Speaker of the Parliament of the FRY; currently a Member of the Parliament of
Serbia and Montenegro. His testimony will be on efforts for peaceful solution of the conflict
initiated by different actors in the FRY, and also on the nature and structure of the Milosevié
régime.
General information on the hearings of witnesses, experts or witness experts before the Court
Since 1946 there have been nine previous cases in which witnesses, experts or
witness-experts have been heard by the Court: Corfu Channel (United Kingdom v. Albania);
Temple of Preah Vihear (Cambodia v. Thailand); South West Africa (Ethiopia v. South Africa;
Liberia v. South Africa), Continental Shelf (Tunisia/Libyan Arab Jamahiriya); Delimitation of the
Maritime Boundary in the Gulf of Maine Area (Canada/United States of America); Continental
Shelf (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya/Malta); Military and Paramilitary Activities in and against
Nicaragua (Nicaragua v. United States of America); Elettronica Sicula S.p.A. (ELSI) (United
States of America v. Italy); Land, Island and Maritime Frontier Dispute (El Salvador/Honduras:
Nicaragua intervening). The last occasion on which witnesses were heard was in 1991.
Such hearings are governed by three Articles ofthe Court's Statute (Articles 43, paragraph 5,
51 and 52) and seven Articles of the Rules of Court (Articles 57, 58, paragraph 2, 63 to 65, 70 and
71, paragraph 5).
The Statute and Rules of Court are published on the Court's website; click on "Basic
Documents". -4-
Press room
Journalists will have access to the Peace Palace press room for the entire duration of the
hearing of witnesses, experts and witness-experts. The hearings will be transmitted there live.
Headsets will be provided, enabling media representatives to follow the proceedings in English or
French. The press room will provide direct TV feeds off the Court's audiovisual system (PAL), as
weil as radio feeds from the Court's audio system. The media are reminded that these recordings
cannot be broadcast before the end ofthe embargoed period (see above).
Information Department:
Mrs. Laurence Blairon, Head of Department ( +31 70 302 23 36)
Messrs. Boris Heim and Maxime Schouppe, Information Officers ( + 31 70 302 23 37)
E-mail address: information @icj-cij.org
- Schedule of hearings of witnesses, experts and witness-experts to be held from 17 to 28 March 2006
Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Bosnia and Herzegovina v. Serbia and Montenegro) - Schedule of hearings of witnesses, experts and witness-experts to be held from 17 to 28 March 2006