A day after the status conference in the case "Gotovina and Markac" was scheduled for 12 September, the Prosecutor's Office of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia requested the deferral of the conference until all filings in the appeals process are submitted, the ICTY reported on Thursday.
Recalling that 12 September was the filing date for the Response Briefs to the Appeals of Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac, the prosecution said that, under rules of evidence and procedure, the defence has 15 days, starting from 12 September, to respond, asking that the status conference be deferred until at least 28 September 2011.
"At this time, the Reply Briefs will also have been filed and the written submissions from all parties will have been completed." the prosecution said.
The defence lawyers for Gotovina and Markac on 1 August submitted the appeal against the ruling sentencing their clients to 24 and 18 years in prison respectively for crimes committed during and in the aftermath of Operation Storm.
