[JURIST] The judges of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) [official website] held a plenary session Tuesday to consider revisions to the Tribunal's Rules of Procedure and Evidence [text] in which they "discussed methods to better organise trials, particularly at the pre-trial stage, in order to ensure more expeditious proceedings," according to an ICTY press release [text]. The rules, which have been amended frequently since the Tribunal was established in 1994 to prosecute Yugoslavian war criminals, have been criticized as inefficient and needlessly complicated in the wake of the trial of former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic [JURIST news archive]. Milosevic died suddenly earlier this year, just weeks after his trial entered its fifth year [JURIST report].

At least 10 judges must agree to a change in the rules, and any change will take effect seven days after the ICTY issues an official document detailing the amendment.