ICTY DECIDES ON WITNESSES' PROTECTION, AMENDED INDICTMENT AGAINST BLASKIC

BLASKIC THE HAGUE, June 11 (Hina) - The International War Crimes Tribunal (ICTY) Trial Chamber I has rendered two decisions: the first one on the protection of witnesses, the second concerning the amended indictment against Tihomir Blaskic, according to a statement issued on Wednesday. The statement said that the Trial Chamber I had rejected on June 6 the Prosecutor's request for an investigation, filed following the disclosure of the identity and statements of a witness, Stipe Mesic to the Croatian media, on the ground that "the said witness was not covered by any protective measures," and "that it would be extremely difficult to determine who is responsible for such disclosure." Regarding protective measures for witnesses in general, the Chamber ordered that the Defence "not disclose to the public or to the media the name of the witnesses residing in the territory of the former Yugoslavia or any information which would permit them to be identified unless absolutely necessary for the preparation of the defence." In connection with the motion of Tihomir Blaskic's Defence of April 25, the Chamber rejected on May 23 the motion that the amended indictment should be dismissed. The Defence claimed that the amended indictment "fails to comport with the Trial Chamber's Order (of April 4 1997). Although the Chamber confirmed that some of the modifications made by the Prosecutor to the indictment "do not comply" with its previous decisions, it rejected the proposal of the Defence "out of a concern that the trial begin without undue delay." It concluded: "At trial, the Defence will have the opportunity to contest the admissibility of the evidence relating to the amendments to the indictment which the Trial Chamber may have not granted." The Trial Chamber also said that four amendments complied with the previous Decision, whereas it maintained that the description of the role of the accused in the alleged crimes "merely repeats" the wording of previous indictment "without providing any further details about the acts alleged in respect of the types of responsibility incurred." The ICTY Trial Chamber I also said that a new count for "devastation not justified by military necessity" represented new incrimination for Blaskic and that there were no "factual indications in support" of this count. (hina) jn mš 112133 MET jun 97