Former Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladic's lawyer asked the UN war crimes court Friday to give him more time to prepare a response after prosecutors asked judges to stop the lawyer from talking to the public and the press.
The prosecutor's office at the ICTY filed a motion to ask the court at Mladic's first appearance last week to stop Mladic's court-appointed lawyer Aleksandar Aleksic from speaking to the public and the media.
"The Defence should be prohibited from disclosing to the public material disclosed to it by the Prosecution," the June 3 motion said.
"The prosecution does not provide this information so it can be provided to the public and the media," it added, saying public disclosure of the information could compromise the security of victims and witnesses.
Court spokeswoman Nerma Jelacic could not comment Friday on the reasons why the original motion was filed, but confirmed that a decision by a three-judge bench was expected soon.
Mladic, 69, once Europe's most wanted man for his part in the 1992-95 Bosnian war, made a first appearance at the ICTY following his arrest and transfer from Serbia last month.
He is currently being held at a nearby UN detention unit inside a Dutch prison in The Hague and will appear again on July 4, where he will be facing charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Source:AFP
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I hope that the lawyer isn't using delay tactics to win his client more time. In such a time, many strings can be pulled from behind the scenes to allow more evidence to be covered, or people could be bribed to help Ratko Mladic. Though that seems unlikely, we have to remember that this man is capable of many things, and used to be in control of a lot of power.
Simon - http://www.starrausten.com
I am a firm believer that cases such as this, what happens in the courtroom should remain in the court room. This is a case that could lead to the endangerment of witnesses. If their identities are compromised, they could be assassinated so that they would not provide evidence against the defendants.
Nicholas - http://www.manta.com/g/mm76s18/nicholas-fortuna
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