Plea-Bargaining in International Criminal Tribunals: A Legitimate and Necessary Tool

Abstract

On 2 March 1996 authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) seized and detained Drazen Erdemovic.1 FRY transferred Erdemovic to the custody of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ITCY) on 30 March 1996.2 The tribunal later tried him for war crimes. The charges facing Erdemovic were not unusual for his crimes, one count of a crime against humanity and an alternative count of a violation of the laws or customs of war.3 What was unusual was how his trial would unfold. Erdemovic, a mere boy when compared to most tribunal detainees, was just 23 years old when he committed his crimes.4 Ordered by superiors, he executed between 70 to 100 Bosnian Muslim men.5 The killing occurred at a farm near Pilica.6 It was to this farm the Bosnian Serb military or police personnel bused men who had earlier surrendered to the police or military authorities.7 Upon arrival, Serbs herded them into a field adjacent to a farm building.8 The victims were forced to stand up in a row with their backs facing Drazen Erdemovic and members of the 10th Sabotage Detachment.9

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 03, 1999
Accession Number
ADA370523

Entities

People

  • Matthew L. Duffin

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Air Force
  • Bargaining
  • Criminals
  • Foreign Relations
  • Governments
  • Human Rights
  • Humanities
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • Judgment
  • Law
  • Negotiations
  • Security
  • Societies
  • United Nations
  • United States

Readers

  • Criminal Law
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.