THE HAGUE, March 6 (Hina) - Defence lawyers of General Tihomir Blaskic and Hague Tribunal's Prosecution must, if they decide to do so, formally announce appeals against the verdict which the ICTY trial chamber delivered last Friday
sentencing Blaskic to 45 years in prison. The three-judge chamber found him guilty for crimes committed in central Bosnia in 1993. While defence attorneys - Anto Nobilo and Russel Hayman - have already stated they will appeal against the sentence, the prosecutors are not expected to appeal. Lawyer Nobilo told Hina on the phone on Monday that the defence would ask for six months of time for submitting an appeal, owing to extensive material. Nobilo said that following the "drastic court decision and a changed political atmosphere" people who declined to contact the two defence lawyers during the trial of first instance were now contacting him and Hayman. The defence sh
THE HAGUE, March 6 (Hina) - Defence lawyers of General Tihomir
Blaskic and Hague Tribunal's Prosecution must, if they decide to do
so, formally announce appeals against the verdict which the ICTY
trial chamber delivered last Friday sentencing Blaskic to 45 years
in prison. The three-judge chamber found him guilty for crimes
committed in central Bosnia in 1993.
While defence attorneys - Anto Nobilo and Russel Hayman - have
already stated they will appeal against the sentence, the
prosecutors are not expected to appeal.
Lawyer Nobilo told Hina on the phone on Monday that the defence
would ask for six months of time for submitting an appeal, owing to
extensive material.
Nobilo said that following the "drastic court decision and a
changed political atmosphere" people who declined to contact the
two defence lawyers during the trial of first instance were now
contacting him and Hayman.
The defence should now collect new data on the ground which could
help the defendant Blaskic, the Croatian lawyer added.
ICTY spokesman, Paul Risley, on Monday said the chief prosecutor
had demanded a very harsh sentence and this was reflected in the
verdict. The trial chamber accepted a bulk of the prosecution's
stand on the matter, Risley added.
Seven months ago the defence asked for the acquittal in its closing
speech, while the prosecution insisted on life sentence what is the
severest sentence of this court.
According to rules, while they pass sentences, judges are expected
to take the practice at courts in the former Yugoslavia into
account, but they are not obliged to do so.
The rules on procedure and evidence of the International War Crimes
Tribunal for former Yugoslavia, stipulate that parties in the case
must announce, in a written form, their intention to appeal not
later than 15 days after the pronouncement of the verdict.
After the appeal was announced, the party that announced it must
lodge the appeal within next 90 days. Subsequently the other party
has 30 days for the response, and then those who file the appeal
should respond to the first response of the opposite party in next
15 days. After that, the appeals chamber schedules the date of a
session at which the two parties can expound their appeals. Under
the rules, judges are free to assess whether they should change
these time limits.
(hina) jn ms