ICTY to hold joint trial for nine suspects in Srebrenica massacre News
ICTY to hold joint trial for nine suspects in Srebrenica massacre

[JURIST] The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) [official website] said Thursday that it will combine the cases of nine Bosnian Serb military officers [ICTY press release; PDF decision] accused of participating in the Srebrenica massacre [Wikipedia backgrounder] that resulted in the murders of nearly 8,000 Muslim men and boys. The massacre, which the UN-backed war crimes tribunal has ruled a genocide, was committed ten years ago during the Bosnian war by Bosnian Serb officers under the rule of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic [Wikipedia profile; JURIST news archive], who is currently on trial at the ICTY for multiple charges, including the Srebrenica massacre. The charges against the nine accused men include genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Eight of the nine men are currently in custody while the last has said he will surrender himself to the court. The joint trial, expected to begin in 2006, will be the largest tried before the ICTY to date. AFP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Charlemagne crowned Holy Roman Emporer

On December 25, 800 A.D., Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III in Rome, Italy. During his lifetime, Charlemagne united most of Western Europe for the first time since the fall of the Western Roman Empire. He is credited with spreading the rule of law throughout his dominions as well as starting the French and German monarchies.

President Andrew Johnson pardoned Confederates

On December 25, 1868, President Andrew Johnson granted an unconditional pardon to all who had been involved in "insurrection or rebellion" during the US Civil War.