UNITED NATIONS International Tribunal for the Case No. IT-95-9-T Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of Date: 17 October 2003 International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of Former Yugoslavia since 1991 Original: English IN TRIAL CHAMBER II Before: Judge Florence Ndepele Mwachande Mumba, Presiding Judge Sharon A. Williams Judge Per-Johan Lindholm Registrar: Mr. Hans Holthuis Judgement: 17 October 2003 PROSECUTOR v. BLAGOJE SIMIĆ MIROSLAV TADIĆ SIMO ZARIĆ JUDGEMENT The Office of the Prosecutor: Mr. Gramsci Di Fazio Mr. Philip Weiner Mr. David Re Counsel for the Accused: Mr. Igor Panteli} and Mr. Srdjan Vuković for Blagoje Simi} Mr. Novak Lukić and Mr. Dragan Krgović for Miroslav Tadić Mr. Borislav Pisarević and Mr. Aleksandar Lazarevi} for Simo Zarić PURL: https://www.legal-tools.org/doc/aa9b81/ I. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................1 II. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE EVALUATION OF EVIDENCE ...........7 III. DEMOGRAPHICS EXPERTS REPORTS .................................................................................11 IV. RELEVANT LAW ON ARTICLE 5 OF THE STATUTE.........................................................13 A. LAW ON GENERAL REQUIREMENTS OF ARTICLE 5 ......................................................................13 B. LAW ON PERSECUTION................................................................................................................16 1. General requirements: chapeau elements...............................................................................16 2. Law on underlying acts..........................................................................................................18 (a) Forcible takeover of the Municipality of Bosanski Šamac as persecution............................. 18 (b) Issuance of orders, policies, decisions and other regulations in the name of the Serb Crisis Staff and War Presidency, and the authorisation of other official actions which violate the rights of the Bosnian Croat, Bosnian Muslim and other non-Serb civilians to equal treatment under the law and infringe upon their enjoyment of basic and fundamental rights ..................................................................................................................................... 19 (c) Unlawful arrest, detention, and confinement of Bosnian Croats, Bosnian Muslims, and other non-Serb civilians........................................................................................................ 20 (d) Interrogation of Bosnian Croats, Bosnian Muslims and other non-Serb civilians who had been arrested and detained, and forcing them to sign false and coerced statements ............ 23 (e) Cruel and inhumane treatment of Bosnian Croats, Bosnian Muslims and other non-Serb civilians including beatings, torture, forced labour assignments, and confinement under inhumane conditions............................................................................................................. 24 (i) Preliminary considerations ................................................................................................. 24 (ii) Cruel and inhumane treatment........................................................................................... 25 (iii) Beatings ............................................................................................................................ 26 (iv) Torture .............................................................................................................................. 26 (v) Forced labour assignments................................................................................................. 28 (vi) Confinement under inhumane conditions ......................................................................... 31 (f) Plundering and looting of the property of Bosnian Croats, Bosnian Muslims and other non- Serb civilians, including dwellings, businesses, personal property and livestock................ 32 V. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS OF ARTICLE 2 OF THE STATUTE .......................................35 A. INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................35 B. PLEADING PRINCIPLES ................................................................................................................36 1. General...................................................................................................................................36 2. Pleading that an armed conflict was of an international character ........................................37 C. THE AMENDED INDICTMENT ......................................................................................................37 VI. LAW ON DEPORTATION AND FORCIBLE TRANSFER UNDER ARTICLE 5 (D) AND (H) OF THE STATUTE..............................................................................................................41 A. UNLAWFUL CHARACTER OF THE DISPLACEMENT........................................................................42 B. DISPLACEMENT FROM THE AREA IN WHICH THEY ARE LAWFULLY PRESENT ...............................44 C. THE INTENT OF THE PERPETRATOR TO DEPORT OR FORCIBLY TRANSFER THE VICTIM..................45 VII. INDIVIDUAL CRIMINAL RESPONSIBILITY UNDER ARTICLE 7(1) OF THE STATUTE ...................................................................................................................................47 A. COMMITTING..............................................................................................................................48 1. Preliminary consideration on form of the Amended Indictment ...........................................48 (a) Form of liability ..................................................................................................................... 48 (b) Applicable law ....................................................................................................................... 50 (c) Discussion .............................................................................................................................. 51 (i) Whether acting in concert together and with others refers to joint criminal enterprise...... 51 PURL: https://www.legal-tools.org/doc/aa9b81/ ii (ii) Whether the Defence was notified that joint criminal enterprise was included in the Amended Indictment ........................................................................................................ 52 (d) Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 54 2. Applicable law on joint criminal enterprise...........................................................................54 B. AIDING AND ABETTING...............................................................................................................57 VIII. BACKGROUND ON EVENTS LEADING TO THE “FORCIBLE TAKEOVER ON 17 APRIL 1992”...............................................................................................................................59 1. Developments leading to the break-up of the Former Yugoslavia ........................................59 2. Geographic location of Bosanski [amac ...............................................................................61 3. Developments in the Bosanski [amac Municipality prior to the takeover............................61 (a) Political developments ........................................................................................................... 61 (b) Atmosphere of increasing tension.......................................................................................... 63 (c) Military preparations in Bosanski [amac............................................................................... 65 (i) Establishment of the 4th Detachment .................................................................................. 65 (ii) Paramilitaries ..................................................................................................................... 69 (iii) Muslim-Croat units and patrols ........................................................................................ 76 (iv) Muslim-Croat arming and mobilisation............................................................................ 77 (v) The new Territorial Defence.............................................................................................. 80 (d) Last developments before 17 April 1992............................................................................... 82 (i) Multi-party meeting one week before 17 April .................................................................. 82 (ii) Meeting at the local commune on 16 April 1992 and proposal made to the 4th Detachment to integrate the TO........................................................................................ 83 IX. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SERBIAN MUNICIPALITY OF BOSANSKI [AMAC AND OF ITS CRISIS STAFF ..............................................................................................................86 A. SERBIAN INSTITUTIONS ESTABLISHED PRIOR TO THE TAKEOVER OF BOSANSKI [AMAC..............86 B. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CRISIS STAFF ...............................................................................89 C. RELATIONS BETWEEN THE CRISIS STAFF, WAR PRESIDENCY, AND OTHER ACTORS ...................96 1. Relations between the Crisis Staff