Registrar Abubacarr Tambadou appoints Monitor for the Šešelj et al. contempt of court case referred to Serbia
Today, Mr. Abubacarr Tambadou, Registrar of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism), appointed Mr. Brent Hicks as the Monitor in the contempt case against Mr. Vojislav Šešelj, Mr. Miljan Damjanović, Mr. Miroljub Ignjatović, Ms. Ljiljana Mihajlović, and Mr. Ognjen Mihajlović (Šešelj et al. case).
The case involves allegations of contempt of court related to the proceedings of both the Mechanism and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The defendants are accused of knowingly interfering with the administration of justice, disclosing confidential information about protected witnesses, and failing to comply with court orders to cease the publication of confidential material.
The case was referred to the Republic of Serbia (Serbia) on 29 February 2024, following a judicial decision by the Mechanism's Single Judge, Liu Daqun.
Mr. Hicks, a Legal Officer in the Office of the Registrar, will monitor the progress of the proceedings in Serbia and report on their status.
In line with its mandate, the Mechanism is responsible for monitoring cases referred by the ICTY, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the Mechanism, to national courts, pursuant to Article 6(5) of the Mechanism's Statute and Rule 14 of its Rules of Procedure and Evidence.
In announcing the appointment of a Monitor, Registrar Tambadou stated: Following a judicial decision to refer the Šešelj et al. case to Serbia, I am pleased to announce the appointment of a Mechanism Monitor for these proceedings. This appointment reflects the Mechanism's commitment to ensure that a robust and effective monitoring regime is in place for the Šešelj et al. case. I also take this opportunity to express my appreciation for the anticipated cooperation of the Serbian authorities, which will ensure that the required monitoring is carried out successfully.
The appointment of Mr. Hicks is effective immediately.