Kondic et al: Objective problems
25 August 2008 It is still not known when the trial of three indictees who are charged with crimes committed in the Kljuc area, will start.
After medical experts determined that Vinko
Kondic was capable of following the trial for "about two hours per day", the
Trial Chamber called upon the Prosecution and Defence to present "constructive
proposals" on how the proceeding could be conducted.
"At this moment we are facing an objective
problem related to the manner in which the trial is to be conducted bearing in
mind Kondic's health state. I think it is in everyone's best interest to conduct
the trial in an expeditious manner," Trial Chamber Chairwoman Jasmina Kosovic
said.
The start of the trial of Kondic has
already been postponed several times due to his bad health and inability
to attend hearings.
The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina
charges Vinko Kondic, Bosko Lukic and Marko Adamovic with having participated in
organising a group of people and abetting them to commit genocide, crimes against
humanity and war crimes in Kljuc municipality in 1992.
Acting on a request made by the Trial Chamber, a
team of medical experts examined Kondic in late July 2008. The team reviewed the
medical reports made by the Clinical Centre of the Sarajevo University. It
determined that the indictee was capable of following the trial, under certain
restrictions.
"We have determined that Kondic is capable of
following the trial for two or two and a half hours, including a 15 to 30
minutes break, every day, if he continues taking his therapy," court expert Erna
Mehmedika-Suljic, neurologist, said.
"It has been noticed that Kondic has symptoms of Parkinson's disease, which has led to progression of the disease.
However, we cannot claim for sure that he suffers from the Parkinson's disease,"
Mehmedika-Suljic said.
During the cross-examination of the court experts, Defence attorney Predrag Radulovic asked
if air conditioners might have affected Kondic's health.
"Air conditioners cannot influence the course of
his disease, but he should not be staying in an overheated or too cold room,"
the court expert responded.
The trial is due to continue on September 2.
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