UNITED NATIONS International Tribunal for the Case No. IT-02-54-T Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of Date: 16 June 2004 International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of Former Yugoslavia since 1991 Original: English IN THE TRIAL CHAMBER Before: Judge Patrick Robinson, Presiding Judge O-Gon Kwon Judge Iain Bonomy Registrar: Mr. Hans Holthuis Decision: 16 June 2004 PROSECUTOR v. SLOBODAN MILOŠEVIĆ DECISION ON MOTION FOR JUDGEMENT OF ACQUITTAL The Office of the Prosecutor Ms. Carla Del Ponte Mr. Geoffrey Nice Mr. Dermot Groome Ms. Hildegard Uertz-Retzlaff The Accused Mr. Slobodan Milošević Amici Curiae Mr. Steven Kay, QC Prof. Timothy L.H. McCormack CONTENTS I. GLOSSARY....................................................................................................................................1 A. ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS................................................................................................1 II. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................3 A. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND........................................................................................................3 B. THE RULE 98 BIS MOTION ............................................................................................................4 III. APPLICATION OF RULE 98 BIS – THE LAW.....................................................................6 IV. CHALLENGES TO THE THREE INDICTMENTS ............................................................10 A. KOSOVO INDICTMENT ........................................................................................................10 1. The Existence of an Armed Conflict in Kosovo prior to 24 March 1999..............................10 (a) Law......................................................................................................................................... 10 (b) Evidence of an armed conflict ...............................................................................................13 (i) Organisation of the KLA .................................................................................................... 13 (ii) Intensity of the Conflict..................................................................................................... 14 a. Length or protracted nature of the conflict and seriousness and increase in armed clashes .......................................................................................................................... 14 b. Spread of clashes over the territory................................................................................. 15 c. Increase in number of governmental forces sent to Kosovo............................................ 15 d. Weapons used by both parties......................................................................................... 16 (iii) Other Submissions of the Amici Curiae ........................................................................... 16 a. Organised under civil authority ....................................................................................... 16 b. Control over territory ...................................................................................................... 17 c. Evidentiary weight of human rights reports .................................................................... 18 (c) Conclusion.............................................................................................................................. 18 2. Deportation or Forcible Transfer ...........................................................................................18 (a) Law......................................................................................................................................... 19 (i) Cross border transfer........................................................................................................... 20 a. Nuremberg Military Tribunal .......................................................................................... 20 b. Geneva Conventions ....................................................................................................... 21 c. International Law Commission ....................................................................................... 22 d. Tribunal Jurisprudence.................................................................................................... 22 e. Statute of the ICC ............................................................................................................ 24 f. Conclusions...................................................................................................................... 25 (ii) Involuntary Nature of the Movement ................................................................................ 25 (iii) Intent of the Perpetrator.................................................................................................... 26 (b) Application of the law............................................................................................................ 27 3. Methodology for dealing with submissions of no or insufficient evidence...........................27 4. Specific Challenges to the Kosovo Indictment......................................................................29 B. CROATIA INDICTMENT .......................................................................................................32 1. International Armed Conflict – Croatian Statehood..............................................................32 (a) Definition of a State ............................................................................................................... 32 (i) Population ........................................................................................................................... 35 (ii) Defined Territory............................................................................................................... 35 (iii) Government ...................................................................................................................... 36 (iv) Capacity to enter into International Relations – Independence........................................ 38 (b) Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 40 2. Specific Challenges to the Croatia Indictment.......................................................................41 C. BOSNIA INDICTMENT ..........................................................................................................48 1. Genocide and Complicity in Genocide..................................................................................48 (a) The Motion............................................................................................................................. 48 (b) The Law ................................................................................................................................. 49 (i) The Required Intent ............................................................................................................ 49 (ii) Determination of Intent to Destroy Part of a Group .......................................................... 51 (c) Territorial Scope of the Bosnia Indictment ............................................................................ 53 (d) Analysis of the Motion........................................................................................................... 54 (i) Is there evidence upon which a Trial Chamber could be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the Accused was a participant in a joint criminal enterprise whose intention was to destroy, in whole or in part, the Bosnian Muslims as a group?............................. 56 a. Whether a Trial Chamber could be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that there existed a joint criminal enterprise, the aim and intention of which was to destroy, in whole or in part, the Bosnian Muslims as a group, and whether genocide was, in fact, committed............................................................................................................. 56 i. Evidence relating to the takeover of municipalities..................................................... 56 ii. Other municipalities.................................................................................................... 79 iii. Other Evidence .......................................................................................................... 85 iv. Evidence of genocidal intent of Bosnian Serb leadership.......................................... 87 v. Finding ........................................................................................................................ 90 b. Is there evidence upon which a Trial Chamber could be satisfied that the Accused was a participant in the joint criminal enterprise and that he shared the required intent of its participants?............................................................................................................. 90 i. The Leader of All Serbs ............................................................................................... 90 ii. Relationship of the Accused with Bosnian Serb political and military authorities..... 92 iii. Finding..................................................................................................................... 102 c. Answer to the First Question........................................................................................