Initiatial Appearance - Delalić (Mucić et al.) - 9 May 1996

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Today, the German authorities transferred to the International Tribunal Zejnil DELALIC, one of the four men accused in the Tribunal's first indictment dealing with Bosnian Serb victims.
Zejnil DELALIC, who was born on 25 March 1948, was apprehended in Munich by German police on 18 March 1996 at the request of the Prosecutor of the International Tribunal. He was indicted on 22 March for Grave Breaches of the Geneva Conventions and Violations of the Laws and Customs of War.
Arising out of the operation in 1992 of a detention facility known as the Celebici Camp, which was located in the Konjic municipality (Central Bosnia), the indictment alleges that Zejnil DELALIC coordinated the activities of the Bosnian Muslim and Croat forces in this area in his capacity as Commander of the First Tactical Group of the Bosnian Muslim forces.
His responsibilities included authority over the Celebici Camp and its personnel. He was in a position of superior authority to all camp guards and to those other persons who entered the camp and mistreated detainees. The accused failed to take the necessary and reasonable measures to prevent the alleged crimes or to punish the perpetrators.
He accordingly is responsible for the crimes allegedly committed by his subordinates, including: - murder of at least 14 detainees;
at least 7 acts of torture, including 2 rapes;
at least 5 cases of causing great suffering or serious injury;
at least 3 cases of inhumane acts, including forcing persons to commit fellatio with each other; and
unlawful confinement of the detainees in inhumane conditions.
The initial appearance hearing of Zejnil DELALIC will take place on Thursday 9 May at 4.30 p.m. before Trial Chamber II, presided over by Judge McDONALD. The defendant, represented by Ms. Edina RESIDOVIC, will be asked to enter a plea. Ms. RESIDOVIC, a lawyer from Sarajevo, was appointed by the accused.
Zejnil DELALIC is the second of the four men named in the Celebici indictment to come into the Tribunal's custody.
Earlier, Zdravko MUCIC had been transferred to the Hague and entered a plea of not-guilty on 11 April 1996.
The two others, Hazim DELIC and Esad LANDZO, were arrested on Thursday 2 May in Bosnia and Herzegovina and arrangements are currently being made for their transfer to the Tribunal.