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The War Crimes Chamber of the State Court has begun implementing the final phase of the Integration Strategy, under which all trial chambers will be composed exclusively of judges from Bosnia and Herzegovina by the end of 2009.
The hearing at the beginning of the trial of Stojan Perkovic, charged with crimes committed in the Rogatica area, was opened by a Trial Chamber composed of Chairwoman Mira Smajlovic and members Senadin Bektasevic and Zoran Bozic.
“We have already started forming Chambers of local judges only, because we assume that these trials will continue beyond December 2009,” Selma Hadzic, spokesperson of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said.
At the beginning of the work of the State Court in 2005 all the trial chambers consisted of two international and one local judge. As of February 2008 the chambers included one international judge only.
Under the exit strategy for international staff, the mandate of international judges and prosecutors expires in December 2009. At the beginning of this year the Council of Ministers rejected a proposed law extending the mandate of international personnel with the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its Prosecution. The Ministry of Justice is soon due to present a new draft law for approval by Ministers.
Many local and international officials, including State Court President Meddzida Kreso, Chief State Prosecutor Milorad Barasin and ICTY President Patrick Robinson, believe that international judges should stay beyond the end of 2009.
