The President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Judge Fausto Pocar, has appointed Judge Kevin Parker “to conduct an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Milan Babic while in the custody of the UNDU...” ()
Mr. Babic was found dead, on Sunday morning, in his cell, at the U.N. Detention Unit, in Scheveningen, The Hague.
This is the second instance of a suicide of an ICTY Detainee. The first was Slavko Dokmanovic in 1998. (Please see:
ORDER TERMINATING PROCEEDINGS AGAINST SLAVKO DOKMANOVIC
http://www.un.org/icty/dokmanovic/trialc2/order-e/80715MS2.htm )
Sadly, any suicide reflects poorly on internal Security measures at the U.N. Detention Unit.
Here follows the ICTY Press Release.
MILAN BABIC FOUND DEAD IN DETENTION UNIT Press Release
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)
The Hague, 6 March 2006
AM/MOW/1046e
At 18:30 hours on Sunday 5 March, Milan Babic, a detained witness, was found dead in his cell at the United Nations Detention Unit in Scheveningen.
The Detention Unit Medical Officer confirmed Milan Babic’s death shortly after his body was found. The Dutch authorities were called immediately. After conducting an investigation, they confirmed that the cause of death was suicide.
Milan Babic’s family has been informed.
Pursuant to his authority under the Tribunal’s Statute and Rules of Detention, the Tribunal President, Judge Fausto Pocar, has ordered an internal inquiry.
Background
The Tribunal convicted Milan Babic to 13 years imprisonment for crimes committed against non-Serb civilians in the self-proclaimed Serb political entity in eastern Croatia (the Serbian Autonomous Region of Krajina, which later became the Republic of Serbian Krajina).
After the Appeals Chamber confirmed Milan Babic’s sentence, he was transferred to serve his sentence abroad.
Milan Babic, who held a number of high-level political positions in the Croatian Serb entity including the presidency, pleaded guilty on 27 January 2004 to participating in a plan to forcibly and permanently remove the non-Serb population from this area. The crimes he admitted to include murder, deportation or forcible transfer, and unlawful imprisonment of non-Serb civilians, as well as the destruction of their property.
At the time of his death, Milan Babic was testifying in the case against Milan Martic, another former high-level official of the Croatian Serb political entity charged with crimes against non-Serb civilians. Milan Babic began his testimony on 15 February 2006. He had previously testified in the case against Slobodan Miloševic from 18 November until 9 December 2002.
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) http://www.un.org/icty
Mr. Babic was found dead, on Sunday morning, in his cell, at the U.N. Detention Unit, in Scheveningen, The Hague.
This is the second instance of a suicide of an ICTY Detainee. The first was Slavko Dokmanovic in 1998. (Please see:
ORDER TERMINATING PROCEEDINGS AGAINST SLAVKO DOKMANOVIC
http://www.un.org/icty/dokmanovic/trialc2/order-e/80715MS2.htm )
Sadly, any suicide reflects poorly on internal Security measures at the U.N. Detention Unit.
Here follows the ICTY Press Release.
MILAN BABIC FOUND DEAD IN DETENTION UNIT Press Release
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)
The Hague, 6 March 2006
AM/MOW/1046e
At 18:30 hours on Sunday 5 March, Milan Babic, a detained witness, was found dead in his cell at the United Nations Detention Unit in Scheveningen.
The Detention Unit Medical Officer confirmed Milan Babic’s death shortly after his body was found. The Dutch authorities were called immediately. After conducting an investigation, they confirmed that the cause of death was suicide.
Milan Babic’s family has been informed.
Pursuant to his authority under the Tribunal’s Statute and Rules of Detention, the Tribunal President, Judge Fausto Pocar, has ordered an internal inquiry.
Background
The Tribunal convicted Milan Babic to 13 years imprisonment for crimes committed against non-Serb civilians in the self-proclaimed Serb political entity in eastern Croatia (the Serbian Autonomous Region of Krajina, which later became the Republic of Serbian Krajina).
After the Appeals Chamber confirmed Milan Babic’s sentence, he was transferred to serve his sentence abroad.
Milan Babic, who held a number of high-level political positions in the Croatian Serb entity including the presidency, pleaded guilty on 27 January 2004 to participating in a plan to forcibly and permanently remove the non-Serb population from this area. The crimes he admitted to include murder, deportation or forcible transfer, and unlawful imprisonment of non-Serb civilians, as well as the destruction of their property.
At the time of his death, Milan Babic was testifying in the case against Milan Martic, another former high-level official of the Croatian Serb political entity charged with crimes against non-Serb civilians. Milan Babic began his testimony on 15 February 2006. He had previously testified in the case against Slobodan Miloševic from 18 November until 9 December 2002.
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) http://www.un.org/icty