Closing Arguments in the Stanisic & Simatovic Trial

Next week, oral arguments at the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals will bring to a close the first full retrial in international criminal law history. GRC has represented Jovica Stanisic since the early stages of his first trial. Mr Stanisic and his co-accused Franko Simatovic were both acquitted on all counts of the indictment in the first trial. However, the case was remitted for retrial by the Appeals Chamber after it found legal errors in the first trial judgment. Having enjoyed a short period as an acquitted man, he was immediately rearrested and, consequently, has had this case pending against him for over 18 years now, since his arrest on 13 March 2003. Jovica Stanisic was the Chief of the Serbian State Security Service from early 1992 until after the end of the Croatian and Bosnian conflicts. For nearly two decades, the Prosecution have sought to paint Mr Stanisic as the head of a war machine. However, Mr Stanisic through GRC has presented a case that included then-British Ambassador Sir Ivor Roberts, that has sought to demonstrate that he led a professional service whose priority was the defence of Serbian homeland security during a highly volatile time when the threat of conflict spilling over into Serbian territory was ever present. He negotiated the release of a cohort of 300 UNPROFOR hostages held by the Bosnian Serb military and facilitated the release of a French journalist, he was a member of the Serbian delegation at the Dayton peace negotiations, he played a vital role in persuading the Croatian Serbs to accept the Vance peace plan, and he was a valued collaborator with international partners sharing a common pursuit of peace. GRC’s team included Wayne Jordash QC, Joe Holmes, Mirjana Vukajlovic, Ruby Axelson, Advait Malviya, Niriksha Sanghvi and Sudipta Purkayastha.  The closing arguments can be followed here: https://www.irmct.org/en/cases/mict-courtroom-broadcast