UNITED NATIONS International Tribunal for the Case No. IT-01-48-T Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of Date: 16 November 2005 International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of Former Yugoslavia since 1991 Original: English IN TRIAL CHAMBER I, SECTION A Before: Judge Liu Daqun, Presiding Judge Florence Ndepele Mwachande Mumba Judge Amin El Mahdi Registrar: Mr. Hans Holthuis Judgement of: 16 November 2005 PROSECUTOR v. SEFER HALILOVIĆ JUDGEMENT The Office of the Prosecutor: Mr. Philip Weiner Ms. Sureta Chana Mr. David Re Mr. Manoj Sachdeva Counsel for the Accused: Mr. Peter Morrissey Mr. Guénaël Mettraux I. INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................1 A. THE ACCUSED SEFER HALILOVIĆ.................................................................................................1 B. OVERVIEW OF THE CASE AGAINST SEFER HALILOVIĆ..................................................................1 II. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE EVALUATION OF EVIDENCE ...4 III. APPLICABLE LAW...................................................................................................................8 A. LAW ON ARTICLE 3 OF THE STATUTE...........................................................................................8 1. General Requirements of Article 3 of the Statute....................................................................8 (a) The Existence of an Armed Conflict and Nexus of the Alleged Crimes with the Armed Conflict ................................................................................................................................... 9 (b) The Tadi} Conditions............................................................................................................. 11 2. “Persons Taking no Active Part in the Hostilities” under Common Article 3.......................12 3. Specific Considerations Concerning Murder under Common Article 3................................13 B. LAW ON ARTICLE 7 (3)...............................................................................................................15 1. Introduction............................................................................................................................15 2. The Nature of Command Responsibility in International Law..............................................18 3. The Elements of Command Responsibility ...........................................................................23 (a) Superior-Subordinate Relationship ........................................................................................ 24 (b) Mental Element: “Knew Or Had Reason To Know”............................................................. 27 (i) Actual Knowledge .............................................................................................................. 27 (ii) “Had Reason to know” ...................................................................................................... 27 (c) Failure to Prevent or Punish................................................................................................... 30 (i) Necessary and Reasonable Measures ................................................................................. 30 (ii) Causation ........................................................................................................................... 31 (iii) Duty to Prevent................................................................................................................. 32 a. General obligation ...........................................................................................................32 b. Specific Obligation..........................................................................................................35 (iv) Duty to Punish .................................................................................................................. 36 a. Failure to Punish in International Humanitarian Law ..................................................... 37 b. Prerequisites of the Duty to Punish ................................................................................. 38 IV. FACTUAL AND LEGAL FINDINGS.....................................................................................41 A. MILITARY AND CIVILIAN STRUCTURES ........................................................................41 1. Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina................................................................41 (a) Structure of the Main Staff of the ABiH ................................................................................ 42 (b) Further Evidence On the Position in the Main Staff Held by Sefer Halilović After 8 June 1993 ...................................................................................................................................... 43 (c) The Military Security Service and the Main Staff Security Administration.......................... 47 (d) Rules and Training On the Law Regulating the Conduct of War.......................................... 48 (e) Structure of Relevant ABiH Corps and Independent Units ................................................... 49 (i) 1st Corps .............................................................................................................................. 50 a. 9th Brigade ....................................................................................................................... 50 b. 10th Brigade...................................................................................................................... 52 c. Discipline and Behaviour of the 9th Brigade and the 10th Brigade Pre-September 1993 52 i. Generally...................................................................................................................... 52 ii. Taking Civilians to Dig Trenches ............................................................................... 54 iii. Thefts and General Misappropriation of Property..................................................... 57 iv. General Undisciplined Behaviour.............................................................................. 59 d. 2nd Independent Battalion................................................................................................ 63 (ii) 3rd Corps............................................................................................................................. 63 a. OG West .......................................................................................................................... 64 (iii) 4th Corps............................................................................................................................ 64 (iv) 6th Corps............................................................................................................................ 64 a. Military Police Battalion ................................................................................................. 66 b. Zulfikar Detachment........................................................................................................ 66 c. Prozor Independent Battalion .......................................................................................... 67 d. 44th Mountain Brigade..................................................................................................... 68 (v) Handžar Division............................................................................................................... 68 (vi) Igman Wolves................................................................................................................... 68 2. MUP units ..............................................................................................................................68 (a) General information ............................................................................................................... 68 (b) The Laste Special MUP Unit ................................................................................................. 69 (c) Resubordination of MUP Units to ABiH Units ..................................................................... 70 B. EXISTENCE OF ARMED CONFLICT...............................................................................................70 (a) Prozor ..................................................................................................................................... 71 (b) Jablanica................................................................................................................................. 72 (c) Mostar..................................................................................................................................... 72 (d) Sarajevo and Mt. Igman......................................................................................................... 73 C. “OPERATION NERETVA”.............................................................................................................75 1. Meeting at Zenica ..................................................................................................................76 2. Orders issued between 24-29 August 1993 ...........................................................................81 3. Establishment of an Inspection Team....................................................................................81 (a) Order of 30 August 1993.......................................................................................................