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Briefly Noted

Gotovina Judgement Slated for April

The trial began in March 2008 and has heard a total of 138 witnesses.
By Rachel Irwin - International Justice - ICTY
TRI Issue 684,
18 Mar 11

The judgement in the Hague tribunal case against Croatian generals Ante Gotovina, Ivan Cermak and Mladen Markac will take place on April 15, the court announced this week.

The three generals are accused of ordering the shelling of civilian areas, murdering Serb civilians and destroying their property during and after Operation Storm. About 200,000 Serb civilians are estimated to have left their homes around the time of the August 4, 1995 offensive, which was launched to retake the Serb-controlled Krajina region of Croatia.

Gotovina, Cermak, and Markac face nine counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including persecutions, deportation, wanton destruction and murder.

The prosecution has requested a 27-year prison sentence for Gotovina, a 23-year term for Markac and 17 years for Cermak. The defence has requested acquittals for all three of the defendants.

The trial began in March 2008 and heard a total of 138 witnesses – 81 of them testified for the prosecution, and 57 appeared on behalf of the defence. Closing arguments were held in late August 2010.

Rachel Irwin is an IWPR reporter in The Hague.

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