From: Vladimir Krsljanin (01/04/2003 23:22)
HAGUE PROSECUTION DETERMINES THE DESTINY OF SERBIA
Below we give the transcript of the additional remarks President
Milosevic made yesterday at The Hague. Except of stressing the destiny
of his associates arrested in Belgrade, he also spoke about his
health, exposing some more manipulations of ICTY. But in the first
place, he underlined the connection between the prosecution and the
events in Belgrade. To that, one can add a couple of points. The big
actual "Red Berets" story started about a month ago when the Hague
prosecution (while questioning Captain Dragan) had shown a video about
the visit of President Milosevic to their base in the town of Kula.
Somebody perhaps wanted to create a picture in which they feel as a
Hague target. Two other curious facts appeared immediately after the
campaign against President Milosevic's family and arrests of his
associates started: The Presidency of DOS (Serbian ruling coalition)
decided to propose changes to the Law on cooperation with the ICTY
which would annul all restrictions for the extradition of the
indictees. The very next day, a spokeswoman of the prosecution told
the press about a plan to make 35 new indictments, mostly against
prominent Serb politicians and generals. But how can all of them be
convicted if Milosevic is so successful?
Richard May
Yes, Mr. Milosevic.
President Slobodan Milosevic
Since we are again at the open session and the new witness has not
come yet, can I get the floor in relation to my requests?
Richard May
Yes.
President Slobodan Milosevic
So, first of all I repeat my request to allow my questioning and to
make it possible to be in public, since it is related to the media
campaign that is going on publicly. The retaliation against one's wife
and children is something we remember from the darkest days of the
last century, from the darkest years of the last century! I also
demand an investigation about the involvement of this illegal
prosecution in the fabrication of untruths that are being launched.
Besides that...
Richard May
Mr. Milosevic, I have stopped you already once. The events in Belgrade
are not something that this court deals with. If that would have any
direct influence to this trial, than we would take it into
consideration, but nothing you have said up to now shows that it has
any influence. You wanted to say something about your health. That's
what we would like to hear.
President Slobodan Milosevic
I will tell you about the health, but direct influence is in their aim
to prevent my wife to give me her assistance and support. And above
that, I want to inform you that they have arrested several members of
the National Committee for my defense "SLOBODA" ("Freedom"), in spite
they have no ground for that. Accordingly, we deal here with an
orchestrated attempt to put pressure on me and my family since this
false Prosecution suffers a fiasco here every day. I consider as your
duty to establish the degree of their involvement.
Richard May
That is only your comment. There is absolutely no evidence to support
what you are saying. Maybe there are good reasons for some people to
be arrested. However, in this moment we will not deal with such
allegations. Do you want to say something about your health?
President Slobodan Milosevic
Regarding my health - I have got these papers you've discussed last
Tuesday in my absence. My first objection is that discussion about me
in my absence. Second, it is written here, I will read it to you:
"Having in mind that the accused has refused to take the increased
dose of the medications recommended by the cardiologist...". So you
have created in the discussion here the impression that I refuse to
take medications and that by that I deliberately have worsen my health
condition, which is a notorious lie. I have discussed, in presence of
the director of the prison, with the only medical employee here the
fact that I have never refused to take medications. Every medication
that has been prescribed to me, I had taken. And the fact that I have
drawn the doctors attention to the negative side effects of the
medication I've been receiving and requested it to be replaced by some
more adequate - that was a normal conversation between the doctor and
patient - which belongs to duties of a doctor and I guess also to the
rights of a patient. I've got also the references proving that the
medication that has been given to me to lower the blood pressure
causes, among other things, two very serious consequences, the
symptoms which I had all the time. One consequence is dazedness and
another is insomnia.
You would have to admit, gentlemen, that dazedness requires from me
additional efforts, additional engagement, additional exhaustion in
order to fulfill the job I have to fulfill here. On the other hand,
insomnia prevents me to get even a minimum of rest. So I stressed that
and I also got references, which I am submitting to you here. The
references of the international experts' institutions underlying these
negative side effects. But you have been holding your discussion here
as I refuse to receive the medication. And on that very day when you
were discussing and expressing the totally untruth allegations, on
that very day doctor Vandajham (?), having all this in mind, decided
to change my therapy.
Two days after the change of the therapy was the first night when I've
been able to sleep. That shows that the doctor was right to change the
therapy and that your whole discussion here on my alleged refusal to
take medications was completely groundless and even in a very evil way
interpreted by Mr. Nice. I also have here a signed letter from my
doctor, in which he says: vertigo, insomnia, dazedness and gives
references. In addition to that he told me - we can even send it to
Houston and they will confirm that it is correct. And I think that one
needs no better confirmation than the fact that since last Tuesday
when you had your discussion here and my therapy was changed - my
blood pressure has been settled after two days. And also after two
days I have been able to sleep normally.
For tomorrow, Wednesday, April 2nd, the ICTY has scheduled another
session on "administrative issues". Again, one of them will be the
health of President Milosevic. Another two we know will be discussions
on the insistence of the prosecution that witnesses according to the
so-called Rule 92bis (those who testify in written) should not appear
in the court room for cross-examination and on the demand from the
prosecution to significantly prolong the time for its case. One can
suppose that President Milosevic would insist on the link between the
political repression in Belgrade and The Hague prosecution - the
question the judges yesterday avoided to accept as legitimate.
---
STOP THE POLITICAL REPRESSION IN SERBIA!
STOP THE EVIL CAMPAIGN AGAINST PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC, HIS FAMILY AND
ASSOCIATES!
RELEASE BOGOLJUB BJELICA AND OTHER POLITICAL PRISONERS!
SEND PROTESTS AND APPEALS TO YUGOSLAV EMBASSIES! -find their
addresses at http://www.mfa.gov.yu/Worldframe.htm
SLOBODA/Freedom Association
HAGUE PROSECUTION DETERMINES THE DESTINY OF SERBIA
Below we give the transcript of the additional remarks President
Milosevic made yesterday at The Hague. Except of stressing the destiny
of his associates arrested in Belgrade, he also spoke about his
health, exposing some more manipulations of ICTY. But in the first
place, he underlined the connection between the prosecution and the
events in Belgrade. To that, one can add a couple of points. The big
actual "Red Berets" story started about a month ago when the Hague
prosecution (while questioning Captain Dragan) had shown a video about
the visit of President Milosevic to their base in the town of Kula.
Somebody perhaps wanted to create a picture in which they feel as a
Hague target. Two other curious facts appeared immediately after the
campaign against President Milosevic's family and arrests of his
associates started: The Presidency of DOS (Serbian ruling coalition)
decided to propose changes to the Law on cooperation with the ICTY
which would annul all restrictions for the extradition of the
indictees. The very next day, a spokeswoman of the prosecution told
the press about a plan to make 35 new indictments, mostly against
prominent Serb politicians and generals. But how can all of them be
convicted if Milosevic is so successful?
Richard May
Yes, Mr. Milosevic.
President Slobodan Milosevic
Since we are again at the open session and the new witness has not
come yet, can I get the floor in relation to my requests?
Richard May
Yes.
President Slobodan Milosevic
So, first of all I repeat my request to allow my questioning and to
make it possible to be in public, since it is related to the media
campaign that is going on publicly. The retaliation against one's wife
and children is something we remember from the darkest days of the
last century, from the darkest years of the last century! I also
demand an investigation about the involvement of this illegal
prosecution in the fabrication of untruths that are being launched.
Besides that...
Richard May
Mr. Milosevic, I have stopped you already once. The events in Belgrade
are not something that this court deals with. If that would have any
direct influence to this trial, than we would take it into
consideration, but nothing you have said up to now shows that it has
any influence. You wanted to say something about your health. That's
what we would like to hear.
President Slobodan Milosevic
I will tell you about the health, but direct influence is in their aim
to prevent my wife to give me her assistance and support. And above
that, I want to inform you that they have arrested several members of
the National Committee for my defense "SLOBODA" ("Freedom"), in spite
they have no ground for that. Accordingly, we deal here with an
orchestrated attempt to put pressure on me and my family since this
false Prosecution suffers a fiasco here every day. I consider as your
duty to establish the degree of their involvement.
Richard May
That is only your comment. There is absolutely no evidence to support
what you are saying. Maybe there are good reasons for some people to
be arrested. However, in this moment we will not deal with such
allegations. Do you want to say something about your health?
President Slobodan Milosevic
Regarding my health - I have got these papers you've discussed last
Tuesday in my absence. My first objection is that discussion about me
in my absence. Second, it is written here, I will read it to you:
"Having in mind that the accused has refused to take the increased
dose of the medications recommended by the cardiologist...". So you
have created in the discussion here the impression that I refuse to
take medications and that by that I deliberately have worsen my health
condition, which is a notorious lie. I have discussed, in presence of
the director of the prison, with the only medical employee here the
fact that I have never refused to take medications. Every medication
that has been prescribed to me, I had taken. And the fact that I have
drawn the doctors attention to the negative side effects of the
medication I've been receiving and requested it to be replaced by some
more adequate - that was a normal conversation between the doctor and
patient - which belongs to duties of a doctor and I guess also to the
rights of a patient. I've got also the references proving that the
medication that has been given to me to lower the blood pressure
causes, among other things, two very serious consequences, the
symptoms which I had all the time. One consequence is dazedness and
another is insomnia.
You would have to admit, gentlemen, that dazedness requires from me
additional efforts, additional engagement, additional exhaustion in
order to fulfill the job I have to fulfill here. On the other hand,
insomnia prevents me to get even a minimum of rest. So I stressed that
and I also got references, which I am submitting to you here. The
references of the international experts' institutions underlying these
negative side effects. But you have been holding your discussion here
as I refuse to receive the medication. And on that very day when you
were discussing and expressing the totally untruth allegations, on
that very day doctor Vandajham (?), having all this in mind, decided
to change my therapy.
Two days after the change of the therapy was the first night when I've
been able to sleep. That shows that the doctor was right to change the
therapy and that your whole discussion here on my alleged refusal to
take medications was completely groundless and even in a very evil way
interpreted by Mr. Nice. I also have here a signed letter from my
doctor, in which he says: vertigo, insomnia, dazedness and gives
references. In addition to that he told me - we can even send it to
Houston and they will confirm that it is correct. And I think that one
needs no better confirmation than the fact that since last Tuesday
when you had your discussion here and my therapy was changed - my
blood pressure has been settled after two days. And also after two
days I have been able to sleep normally.
For tomorrow, Wednesday, April 2nd, the ICTY has scheduled another
session on "administrative issues". Again, one of them will be the
health of President Milosevic. Another two we know will be discussions
on the insistence of the prosecution that witnesses according to the
so-called Rule 92bis (those who testify in written) should not appear
in the court room for cross-examination and on the demand from the
prosecution to significantly prolong the time for its case. One can
suppose that President Milosevic would insist on the link between the
political repression in Belgrade and The Hague prosecution - the
question the judges yesterday avoided to accept as legitimate.
---
STOP THE POLITICAL REPRESSION IN SERBIA!
STOP THE EVIL CAMPAIGN AGAINST PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC, HIS FAMILY AND
ASSOCIATES!
RELEASE BOGOLJUB BJELICA AND OTHER POLITICAL PRISONERS!
SEND PROTESTS AND APPEALS TO YUGOSLAV EMBASSIES! -find their
addresses at http://www.mfa.gov.yu/Worldframe.htm
SLOBODA/Freedom Association