IT-05-88/2-T Translation 13844 Public redacted version D13844 - D13493 The Prosecutor v. Zdravko Tolimir 04 October 2012 TR INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA Case No. IT-05-88/2-T IN TRIAL CHAMBER II Before: Judge Christoph Flügge, Presiding Judge Antoine Kesia-Mbe Mindua Judge Prisca Matimba Nyambe Registrar: Mr John Hocking Date: 1 October 2012 THE PROSECUTOR v. ZDRAVKO TOLIMIR PUBLIC REDACTED VERSION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DEFENCE FINAL TRIAL BRIEF with corrigendum -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Office of the Prosecutor: Peter McCloskey Defence: The Accused: Zdravko Tolimir Legal Adviser to the Accused: Aleksandar Gaji} REG34537.doc/clss 1 IT-05-88/2-T Translation 13843 Public redacted version The Prosecutor v. Zdravko Tolimir 1. Pursuant to the order of the Trial Chamber of 23 August 2012 and in accordance with instructions for redacting public versions of confidential submissions, the Defence hereby submits the public redacted version of the final trial brief. 2. The Defence also hereby also submits a corrigendum which is of a strictly technical nature, considering that these are apparent typing mistakes. in footnote 136 instead of D214 it should be P214. in footnote 140 instead of D21 it should be P21 in footnote 141 instead of D29 it should be P29. With faith in God, /signed/ Zdravko Tolimir Self-Represented Accused REG34537.doc/clss 2 IT-05-88/2-T Translation 13842 Public redacted version The Prosecutor v. Zdravko Tolimir The Defence hereby submits the DEFENCE FINAL TRIAL BRIEF pursuant to Articles 20 and 21 of the Statute of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, Rules 54 and 86 of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence, the Scheduling Order on Final Trial Briefs and Closing Arguments issued by the Trial Chamber on 14 February 2012,1 partially modified by the Trial Chamber’s decision of 14 May 2012 which set 11 June 2012 as the deadline for the submission of the Final Briefs,2 and the Decision on Prosecution's Motion for Variation of the Word Limit for Its Final Trial Brief of 12 January 2012, whereby the Trial Chamber set “the limit for the length of the parties' Final Brief to 120,000 words”, expected “the parties to strictly confine themselves to addressing matters relevant to the charges in the Indictment” and said that “it would be benefited by precision and conciseness of the Final Briefs”. Word count /in original/: 59,041 /signed/ Zdravko Tolimir Self-Represented Accused 1 In this decision, the Chamber ordered that “a) the parties shall file their Final Briefs by no later than Thursday 31 May 2012” and that “b) there shall be no written responses to the Final Briefs”. 2 In its decision of 1 July 1992, the Trial Chamber denied the Defence motion for reconsideration of the Trial Chamber's decision of 14 May 2012, refusing to grant an extension of the deadline for the submission of the Final Brief. REG34537.doc/clss 3 IT-05-88/2-T Translation 13841 Public redacted version The Prosecutor v. Zdravko Tolimir DEFENCE FINAL TRIAL BRIEF _____________________________________________________________________ Table of Contents: THE BASIC ARGUMENT OF THE DEFENCE ........................................................6 INTRODUCTORY PART ............................................................................................7 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................8 PARAGRAPHS 21.4.1 AND 49 OF THE INDICTMENT.............................12 NAMES OF DOCUMENTS, QUOTATIONS FROM DOCUMENTS AND WITNESS STATEMENTS ...................................................................13 PART I – PRELIMINARY ISSUES ...........................................................................14 REMARKS ON THE CASE AND THE STANDARD OF PROOF ..............15 THE RULES OF DOMESTIC LAW AS THE OBJECT OF PROOF ...........17 ORIGINALS AND TRANSLATIONS OF DOCUMENTS ...........................20 SOME CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE INDICTMENT AND THE DETERMINATION OF RELEVANT FACTS ......................................21 THE CHARGES AND COUNTS OF THE INDICTMENT AND THE NATURE OF THE CASE AGAINST ZDRAVKO TOLIMIR ......................22 APPLICABLE LAW – NULLUM CRIMEN SINE LEGE ..............................24 SOME REMARKS ABOUT CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY AS CRIMES UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW ................................................27 SOME REMARKS ABOUT THE CRIME OF GENOCIDE AND CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT GENOCIDE ..................................................32 SOME REMARKS ON JOINT CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE AS A FORM OF LIABILITY IN INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL LAW ..........................38 PART TWO .................................................................................................................44 DISCUSSION OF THE PROBATIVE VALUE OF CERTAIN EVIDENCE OR TYPES OF EVIDENCE ...........................................................................44 INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................44 Intercepted communications ............................................................................44 “Imagery from the American Intelligence Community” .................................54 Testimonies of Witnesses who Concluded a Plea Agreement with the Prosecution ......................................................................................................56 Miroslav Deronji} ............................................................................................56 Evidence admitted pursuant to Rules 92 bis and 92 quarter ...........................58 TESTIMONIES OF PROSECUTION INVESTIGATORS ............................60 THE REPORTS AND TESTIMONIES OF RICHARD BUTLER ................62 REG34537.doc/clss 4 IT-05-88/2-T Translation 13840 Public redacted version The Prosecutor v. Zdravko Tolimir STATEMENTS OF BOSNIAN MUSLIM WITNESSES ..............................66 ADJUDICATED FACTS ................................................................................69 THE ZVORNIK BRIGADE LOG BOOK ......................................................72 EXHIBIT P125 AND THE ATLANTIDA COLLECTION OF DOCUMENTS ................................................................................................72 VIKTOR BEZRUCHENKO’S REPORT – THE FALL OF @EPA (EXHIBIT D55) ...............................................................................................73 PART THREE: FORENSIC EVIDENCE ..................................................................75 THE RELIABILITY OF REPORTS BASED ON DNA ANALYSES ..........76 THE REPORT OF DUŠAN JANC AND DEAN MANNING .......................81 PART FOUR ...............................................................................................................84 ALLEGATIONS ABOUT THE SCALE OF THE SREBRENICA CRIME ............................................................................................................84 THE INDICTMENT .......................................................................................85 THE DEFENCE'S ARGUMENT ....................................................................85 THE POPULATION OF SREBRENICA .......................................................93 THE NATURE OF THE BREAKOUT ..........................................................95 PART FIVE: THE NATURE AND CONTEXT OF THE CONFLICT .....................99 REGULATION OF THE POSITION OF THE CIVILIAN POPULATION ..............................................................................................100 ELEMENTS OF CONTEXT (1991-1994) ...................................................100 THE STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES AND DIRECTIVE NUMBER 6 ...........113 DIRECTIVES 7 AND 7/1 .............................................................................117 SREBRENICA, @EPA AND GORA@DE AS UNDEMILITARISED ZONES AND THE REASONS FOR THE ATTACK ON SREBRENICA AND @EPA .............................................................................................................120 THE DEMILITARISATION AGREEMENT ...............................................120 THE REASONS FOR THE ATTACK ON SREBRENICA AND @EPA – THE OBJECTIVE OF OPERATION KRIVAJA 95 .......................124 THE PLAN TO JOIN UP THE ENCLAVES AND THE PLAN IN THE EVENT OF A VRS ATTACK ON THE ENCLAVE AND THE ARMING OF THE SREBRENICA AND @EPA ENCLAVES AND THE BACKUP PLAN TO (BREAK OUT OF ENCIRCLEMENT IN THE EVENT OF A VRS ATTACK) ............................................................125 ATTACKS FROM THE SREBRENICA AND @EPA ENCLAVES ...........127 KRIVAJA 95 ..................................................................................................129 THE OBJECTIVE OF THE ATTACK ON @EPA .......................................130 REG34537.doc/clss 5 IT-05-88/2-T Translation 13839 Public redacted version The Prosecutor v. Zdravko Tolimir THE UNFOUNDED NATURE OF THE CHARGES OF GENOCIDE (COUNT 1 OF THE INDICTMENT), CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT GENOCIDE (COUNT 2 OF THE INDICTMENT) AND MURDER AS A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY AND VIOLATIONS OF THE LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF WAR ..............................................................132 COUNTS 1-5 OF THE INDICTMENT ........................................................133 OVERSEEING LJUBI[A BEARA ..............................................................133 CHARGES OF OVERSEEING THE 10TH SABOTAGE DETACHMENT ...........................................................................................134