The Last ICTY Trial to Start in October

Goran Hadzic, former leader of Croatian Serbs

The trial of Goran Hadzic, who is charged with the persecution and killing of non- Serb civilians during the 1990s war on what is now Croatian territory, will start on October 16, the ICTY announced on Thursday.

During the Croatian war in the 1990s, Hadzic was President of the Government of the self-proclaimed Serbian Autonomous District Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srem, SAO SBWS, and subsequently President of the Republic of Serbian Krajina, RSK.

Hadzic is facing 14 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity over his alleged involvement in the forced removal and murder of thousands of non-Serb civilians from Croatia between 1991 and 1993.

He is indicted for persecutions on political, racial or religious grounds, murder, imprisonment, torture, inhumane acts, deportation and forcible transfer, cruel treatment, devastation not justified by military necessity, destruction or wilful damage to educational and religious institutions and plunder of public or private property.

According to the ICTY indictment, Hadzic was part of a joint criminal enterprise (JCE), which came into existence no later than 1 April 1991, and continued until at least 31 December 1995.

The other ICTY indictees who participated in this JCE include Slobodan Milosevic, Milan Martic, Milan Babic, Jovica Stanisic, Franko Simatovic (also known as Frenki), Vojislav Seselj and Zeljko Raznatovic (also known as Arkan).

Hadzic is alleged to have participated in the JCE from no later than June 25, 1991 until at least December 1993, during which period he was the highest civilian and political authority in the SAO SBWS and the RSK.

He was arrested by the Serbian police in the Fruska Gora hills of northern Serbia on July 20 last year, after seven years on the run.

The arrest and handover of Goran Hadzic marked a milestone in Serbia’s difficult relationship with the Hague Tribunal, as he was very  last war crimes suspect [the 46^th] that Serbia was required to extradite to the ICTY.