"By this `trial' you are
attempting to justify your
crimes." - Milosevic
President Milosevic in The
Hague, January 9, 2002
(transcript):
Richard May:
...Mr. Milosevic, you have heard
what I said. Is there anything
else you would like to say in
connection with your trial and
what has been said today?
President Slobodan Milosevic:
To be precise, concerning what
has been said today: almost
everything we've heard shows
that, in the guise of having a
trial, what is planned here is to
carry out an operation to reverse
scene and culprit. This is aimed
at producing a fabricated
justification for the crimes
committed during the NATO
aggression against my country and
my people.
Indeed, this `indictment' itself
constitutes one of the proofs
that what I affirm is true.
Because all the so-called
misdeeds supposedly committed by
the armed forces of Yugoslavia,
which I had the honor to command,
are, according to the
`indictment,' supposed to have
occurred during precisely the
time of the NATO aggression
against my country.
The intention is obviously to
portray those who defended their
families, children, thresholds,
homes and homeland as villains,
criminals, evil people. Whereas
those who traveled thousands of
kilometers to destroy those homes
in the night, to kill innocent
people, to destroy maternity
wards, hospitals, bridges,
railways, trains, who
collaborated with the Albanian
terrorists - that those people,
responsible for a huge number of
victims and enormous material
damage, are good, are correct,
and should have the support of
international public opinion.
To compound this absurdity...
(microphone turned off)
Richard May:
Mr. Milosevic, I have already
explained how this trial will be
conducted. You will have the
opportunity to give your defense
in the way I have described. But
now is not the time for that. It
is not the time for speeches. Our
concern now is for the form of
the trial and the proceedings.
Would you like to say something
concerning that? As I have said
you will have the opportunity to
state your defense when the trial
begins. That will be the right
time to do it, not now. We
haven't gotten into the essence
of the trial. Do you wish to say
something concerning the
procedure?
President Slobodan Milosevic:
Well, this isn't the first time I
haven't been allowed to speak,
but I have to say - if you will
... (microphone turned off)
Richard May:
You will have the opportunity to
speak and will be allowed to
speak at the proper time, during
the trial. As I told you, this is
not the right time. We are now
concerned with procedural
matters. So, you have to limit
your remarks to that, and when
the trial begins, as I have said,
the time will come for you to
make your statements. You can do
that and expound your defense.
Please, do you wish to say
something concerning procedure or
not?
President Slobodan Milosevic:
I want to confirm that you have
not offered a single argument in
response to the very clear legal
facts I have presented regarding
the illegality of this `court',
established by a resolution of a
Security Council that has no
legislative nor judiciary power
and that could hardly transfer
prerogatives it does not have,
since as lawyers you very well
know that a right which one does
not posses cannot be transferred.
In any case.... (microphone
turned off)
Richard May:
Mr. Milosevic, we have already
made a decision regarding that
question and it is no longer an
issue up for debate. Do you wish
to say something else regarding
the procedure or shall we finish?
President Slobodan Milosevic:
Well, if you're going to limit
the questions I can raise, then
regarding the procedure I would
say the following: according to
the natural definition, which
applies to any court, it must be
neutral and impartial. And look
at this `court': the indictment
is based on allegations provided
by the English Intelligence
Service; the judge is English;
the prosecutor is English; the
Amicus Curiae is English; and I
.... (microphone turned off)
Richard May:
Mr. Milosevic, we have listened
to you patiently and we are
listening to you patiently.
Several times you have been told
that this hearing deals with
procedural matters only. You will
have the opportunity to state
your defense during your trial
and to give all the statements
you want. Now is not the time for
that. This hearing is adjourned.
Please rise.
To join or help this struggle, visit:
http://www.sps.org.yu/ (official SPS website)
http://www.belgrade-forum.org/ (forum for the
world of equals)
http://www.icdsm.org/ (the international committee
to defend Slobodan Milosevic)
http://www.jutarnje.co.yu/ ('morning news' the
only Serbian newspaper advocating liberation)
attempting to justify your
crimes." - Milosevic
President Milosevic in The
Hague, January 9, 2002
(transcript):
Richard May:
...Mr. Milosevic, you have heard
what I said. Is there anything
else you would like to say in
connection with your trial and
what has been said today?
President Slobodan Milosevic:
To be precise, concerning what
has been said today: almost
everything we've heard shows
that, in the guise of having a
trial, what is planned here is to
carry out an operation to reverse
scene and culprit. This is aimed
at producing a fabricated
justification for the crimes
committed during the NATO
aggression against my country and
my people.
Indeed, this `indictment' itself
constitutes one of the proofs
that what I affirm is true.
Because all the so-called
misdeeds supposedly committed by
the armed forces of Yugoslavia,
which I had the honor to command,
are, according to the
`indictment,' supposed to have
occurred during precisely the
time of the NATO aggression
against my country.
The intention is obviously to
portray those who defended their
families, children, thresholds,
homes and homeland as villains,
criminals, evil people. Whereas
those who traveled thousands of
kilometers to destroy those homes
in the night, to kill innocent
people, to destroy maternity
wards, hospitals, bridges,
railways, trains, who
collaborated with the Albanian
terrorists - that those people,
responsible for a huge number of
victims and enormous material
damage, are good, are correct,
and should have the support of
international public opinion.
To compound this absurdity...
(microphone turned off)
Richard May:
Mr. Milosevic, I have already
explained how this trial will be
conducted. You will have the
opportunity to give your defense
in the way I have described. But
now is not the time for that. It
is not the time for speeches. Our
concern now is for the form of
the trial and the proceedings.
Would you like to say something
concerning that? As I have said
you will have the opportunity to
state your defense when the trial
begins. That will be the right
time to do it, not now. We
haven't gotten into the essence
of the trial. Do you wish to say
something concerning the
procedure?
President Slobodan Milosevic:
Well, this isn't the first time I
haven't been allowed to speak,
but I have to say - if you will
... (microphone turned off)
Richard May:
You will have the opportunity to
speak and will be allowed to
speak at the proper time, during
the trial. As I told you, this is
not the right time. We are now
concerned with procedural
matters. So, you have to limit
your remarks to that, and when
the trial begins, as I have said,
the time will come for you to
make your statements. You can do
that and expound your defense.
Please, do you wish to say
something concerning procedure or
not?
President Slobodan Milosevic:
I want to confirm that you have
not offered a single argument in
response to the very clear legal
facts I have presented regarding
the illegality of this `court',
established by a resolution of a
Security Council that has no
legislative nor judiciary power
and that could hardly transfer
prerogatives it does not have,
since as lawyers you very well
know that a right which one does
not posses cannot be transferred.
In any case.... (microphone
turned off)
Richard May:
Mr. Milosevic, we have already
made a decision regarding that
question and it is no longer an
issue up for debate. Do you wish
to say something else regarding
the procedure or shall we finish?
President Slobodan Milosevic:
Well, if you're going to limit
the questions I can raise, then
regarding the procedure I would
say the following: according to
the natural definition, which
applies to any court, it must be
neutral and impartial. And look
at this `court': the indictment
is based on allegations provided
by the English Intelligence
Service; the judge is English;
the prosecutor is English; the
Amicus Curiae is English; and I
.... (microphone turned off)
Richard May:
Mr. Milosevic, we have listened
to you patiently and we are
listening to you patiently.
Several times you have been told
that this hearing deals with
procedural matters only. You will
have the opportunity to state
your defense during your trial
and to give all the statements
you want. Now is not the time for
that. This hearing is adjourned.
Please rise.
To join or help this struggle, visit:
http://www.sps.org.yu/ (official SPS website)
http://www.belgrade-forum.org/ (forum for the
world of equals)
http://www.icdsm.org/ (the international committee
to defend Slobodan Milosevic)
http://www.jutarnje.co.yu/ ('morning news' the
only Serbian newspaper advocating liberation)