Mustafa: a victim addresses the court on 21 March, Defence case starts on 22 March

At the end of the hearing in the Mustafa case today, the Trial Panel issued a number of oral orders setting, inter alia, Tuesday, 22 March, as the date for the Defence's opening statement, followed by 23 March, when the testimony of the Defence's first witness will commence. The Defence was allocated a total of 36 hours for direct examination of its 17 witnesses authorized to testify.

Following a request of the Victim's Counsel, victim 05 is allowed to present his views and concerns before the Panel on Monday, 21 March for 1 hour. The Victim's Counsel will also be allowed to make submissions before and/or after victim 05 has presented his concerns for a total of 1 hour.

As per another request of the Victim's Counsel, the Panel appointed the Dutch Forensic Institute to assess the medical condition as well as the damages or injuries suffered by three victims and to prepare a report, which is to be submitted by 13 May 2022. The Panel specified that this decision is without prejudice to the final determination of the Panel as to the guilt or innocence of the accused and to any reparation order that may stem therefrom.