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Journal of International Criminal Justice Advance Access originally published online on May 26, 2005
Journal of International Criminal Justice 2005 3(3):680-694; doi:10.1093/jicj/mqi026
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© Oxford University Press, 2005, All rights reserved. For permissions please email journals.permissions@oupjournals.org

Advising Defendants about Guilty Pleas before International Courts

Rodney Dixon* and Alexis Demirdjian*

* Rodney Dixon is a Barrister, Inner Temple, London. He has been a Legal Advisor in the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), and is currently acting as Defence Counsel before the ICTY [dixon_uk_uk{at}yahoo.co.uk]. Alexis Demirdjian is a member of the Quebec Bar; Major in Political Science and LL.B. Université de Montréal; LL.M. International Law; and presently Legal Assistant for a Defence team at the ICTY.

The aim of the article is to convey to the reader the variety of considerations that Defence Counsel before the International Tribunals must take into account when advising accused persons about their pleas. Although there are no formally adopted sentencing guidelines for guilty pleas, certain practices and patterns have emerged in the jurisprudence. The article thus examines the host of mitigating and aggravating factors which the judges have identified in the sentencing judgments following guilty pleas. The plea-bargaining process is also discussed, in particular the deviations between the sentences recommended in the agreements between the Prosecution and Defence, and those handed down by the Trial Chambers—another factor about which accused persons must be advised in deciding upon their pleas. The article concludes by highlighting the challenges faced by Defence Counsel in applying the multiplicity of sentencing features to the facts of each case.

1 Code of Professional Conduct for Counsel Appearing before the International Tribunal, 12 July 2002, Art. 10.

2 The provisions of the other ad hoc International Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) are similar, as set out in Rule 62 of the ICTR Rules.

3 ICTY, Sentencing Judgement, Babic (IT-03–72), Trial Chamber I, 29 June 2004, § 67.

4 ICTY, Sentencing Judgement, Nikolic (IT-94–2), Trial Chamber II, 18 December 2003, § 234.

5 ICTY, Sentencing Judgement, Plavsic (IT-00–39&40/1), Trial Chamber III, 27 February 2003, § 73.

6 Ibid., § 81.

7 As outlined in the report submitted by the Max-Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law at the request of Trial Chamber II, The Punishment of Serious Crimes: A Comparative Analysis of Sentencing Law and Practice, 10 November 2003.

8 Nikolic case, supra note 4, § 232.

9 Ibid., § 237.

10 ICTY, Sentencing Judgement, Cesic (IT-95–10/1), Trial Chamber I, 11 March 2004, §§ 58–60.

11 Babic case, supra note 3, § 68.

12 Ibid., § 69.

13 Plavsic case, supra note5, § 73.

14 ICTY, Sentencing Judgement, Jokic (IT-01–42/1), Trial Chamber I, 18 March 2004, § 77.

15 Plavsic case, supra note 5, § 76.

16 See transcript page number 57 of the hearing held on 27 January 2004.

17 Babic case, supra note 3, § 86.

18 Plavsic case, supra note 5, §§ 83–84.

19 ICTY, Sentencing Judgement, Obrenovic (IT-02–60/2), Trial Chamber I, 10 December 2003, § 136.

20 ICTY, Sentencing Judgement, Deronjic (IT-02–61), Trial Chamber II, 30 March 2004, §§ 266–267.

21 Dragan Nikolic case, supra note 4, § 264.

22 Babic case, supra note 3, §§ 90–91.

23 Cesic case, supra note 10, §§ 82–87.

24 Dragan Nikolic case, supra note 4, § 265.

25 Ibid., § 266.

26 Cesic case, supra note 10, § 62.

27 Deronjic case, supra note 20, § 245.

28 Plavsic case, supra note 5, § 63.

29 Ibid., § 64.

30 Babic case, supra note 3, §§ 70–75.

31 Ibid., § 94.

32 Jokic case, supra note 14, § 92.

33 Babic case, supra note 3, § 95.

34 Dragan Nikolic case, supra note 4, §§ 68–69.

35 Ibid., § 79.

36 Babic case, supra note 3, § 40.

37 Plavsic case, supra note 5, § 57.

38 ICTY, Sentencing Judgement, Mrda (IT-02–59), Trial Chamber I, 31 March 2004, §§ 52–54.

39 Nikolic case, supra note 4, § 183.

40 Cesic case, supra note 10, § 36.

41 Ibid., § 51.

42 Ibid., § 54.

43 Dragan Nikolic case, supra note 4, § 186.

44 Ibid., §192.

45 Plavsic case, supra note 5, § 52.

46 Mrda case, supra note 38, § 42.

47 Deronjic case, supra note 20, § 223.

48 Ibid., § 222.

49 Dragan Nikolic case, supra note 4, § 184.

50 Plavsic case, supra note 5, § 58

51 Obrenovic case, supra note 19, § 97.

52 Jokic case, supra note 14, § 65.

53 Dragan Nikolic case, supra note 4, § 200.

54 Mrda case, supra note 38, §§ 40–41.

55 Cesic case, supra note 10, § 39.

56 Ibid., § 40.

57 Deronjic case, supra note 20, § 210.

58 Babic case, supra note 3, § 101.

59 Ibid., § 57.

60 Dragan Nikolic case, supra note 4, § 281.

61 Ibid.

62 Jokic case, supra note 14, § 113.

63 Ibid., § 114.

64 Ibid., § 101.

65 Plavsic case, supra note 5, § 130.

66 ICTY, Nikolic (IT-02–60/1), Trial Chamber I, Sentencing Judgement, 2 December 2003, § 180.

67 ICTY, Judgement, Blaskic (IT-95–14-A), Appeals Chamber, 29 July 2004, § 680.


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