Start Date for Perisic Trial

At a pre-trial hearing this week, the pre-trial judge in the Perisic case Patrick Robinson told the parties involved to prepare for the trial to commence on the last day in April.



Judge Robinson also voiced his concerns at the hearing that the prosecution was not showing adequate preparation in the run-up to the trial.



Perisic served as the chief of the general staff of the Yugoslav Army, VJ, from August 1993 until November 1999 and during the time of the conflicts in Croatia and Bosnia. He was indicted in March last year.



He stands accused of providing military assistance to Bosnian Serb and Croatian Serb separatist forces - the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, and the Army of the Serbian Krajina, SVK – during these conflicts, which erupted following the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia.



The indictment states that during this period, he was “the most senior officer in the VJ having overall authority and responsibility of its functioning” at that time, and charges Perisic with both individual and command criminal responsibility for crimes against humanity”.



It further states that Perisic supplied the majority of senior officers to these forces, as well as weapons, ammunition and other materials, which were then used in the commission of war crimes.



The prosecution so far has a list of 366 witnesses, and 160 of these are expected to testify.



Perisic surrendered to the tribunal following his indictment last March and has been released pending trial.