Milosevic "trial":
1. U.S. National Section of the International Committee to Defend
Slobodan Milosevic - Press Release
#1
(September 13, 2003)
2. Truth or Inquisition - make your choice! (SLOBODA to UN Secretary
General and Permanent Members of SC, 3/9/2003)
3. Russian Parliamentarians Stand for Rights of President Milosevic
(Moscow, September 12th, 2003)
The documents have been forwarded to us by SLOBODA, Belgrade:
http://www.sloboda.org.yu/
SLOBODA urgently needs your donation.
Please find the detailed instructions at:
http://www.sloboda.org.yu/pomoc.htm
To join or help this struggle, visit:
http://www.sloboda.org.yu/ (Sloboda/Freedom association)
http://www.icdsm.org/ (the international committee to defend Slobodan
Milosevic)
http://www.free-slobo.de/ (German section of ICDSM)
http://www.icdsmireland.org/ (ICDSM Ireland)
http://www.wpc-in.org/ (world peace council)
http://www.geocities.com/b_antinato/ (Balkan antiNATO center)
=== 1 ===
US Committee: In the Show-Trial of President Milosevic Basic Human and
Democratic Rights Violated
ICDSM-US
U.S. National Section of the International Committee to Defend Slobodan
Milosevic
Press Release
#1
September 13, 2003
Telephone: 212-726-1260
Email: icdsm_us@...
For Immediate Release:
PRESS RELEASE: PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE FORMATION OF THE U.S. SECTION
OF THE ICDSM AND A STATEMENT AGAINST THE ICTY’S MOST RECENT VIOLATIONS
OF INTERNATIONAL LAW AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Today some two dozen writers, academics, attorneys and peace and human
rights activists announce the formation of a new organization to fight
for an immediate end to the disgraceful show-trial of Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic by the International Criminal Tribunal for
the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.
The new committee shall be known as the U.S. National Section of the
International Committee to Defend Slobodan Milosevic, and it shall work
in full cooperation with the leadership of the ICDSM in Belgrade and
Europe as its official representative in the United States. The Chair
of the Committee is Dr. Michael Parenti of Berkeley, California a
leading international scholar and the author of To Kill A Nation: The
Attack on Yugoslavia.
The U.S. Section of the ICDSM rejects the legitimacy of this trial and
that of the ICTY as well. But at the same time we cannot stand by
without protesting the gross violations of fundamental legal,
democratic and human rights visited upon Mr. Milosevic by this court.
We view this trial as an act of political warfare against the people of
Serbia and against the basic democratic rights of the whole of humanity
that cannot be allowed to succeed.
The U.S. Section of the ICDSM charges the ICTY and the American
government with falsifying war crimes charges against President
Milosevic solely for the purpose of manipulating public opinion against
the people of Serbia and justifying NATO's barbaric 78-day campaign of
terror against Yugoslavia in 1999, as well as to deflect attention from
the real crimes against the people of Yugoslavia committed by the US
and its NATO allies over the course of the last thirteen years. These
include but are not limited to the break up of Yugoslavia and the
imposition of neo-colonial regimes in each of the former republics. The
ICTY represents a continuation of this policy of aggression and
occupation and a dangerous precedent for all nations who dare to oppose
U.S. or Western foreign policy.
As its first act the US Section of the ICDSM is issuing this urgent
public protest against the ICTY’s most recent violations of the norms
of international law and human rights.
In recent weeks the ICTY has flagrantly violated some internationally
accepted legal norms by failing to provide adequate medical attention
for President Milosevic, by denying visitation rights to President
Milosevic’s closest advisors, and, most recently, by denying Mr.
Milosevic’s request for a two year break in the trial for adequate
preparation for his defense. In all three of these cases, the actions
of the tribunal are designed to prevent President Milosevic from
conducting his defense.
Above all the ICTY has deliberately undermined the health and physical
capacity of President Milosevic by refusing to grant adequate medical
assistance and an adjournment.
The past two years of imprisonment have severely damaged his health and
threatened his very life. In addition, the tribunal’s persecution of
Mr. Milosevic’s family and his forced isolation from them is an outrage
that must end.
By not granting Mr. Milosevic an adjournment and adequate medical care
the tribunal has exposed its own brutality while violating fundamental
norms of international law such as the presumption of innocence and due
process. Article 9 (3) of the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights states: "It shall not be the general rule that persons
awaiting trial shall be detained in custody, but release may be subject
to guarantees to appear for trial, at any other stage of the judicial
proceedings, and, should occasion arise, for execution of the
judgment." And in regard to due process, Article 9 (1) of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states: "No one
shall be deprived of his liberty except on such grounds and in
accordance with such procedure as are established by law."
The recent decisions of the ICTY also disregard the principle of
“equality of arms,” a fundamental norm of international law that is
intended to create credible conditions for the defense. According to
Article 14 (3) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights (ICCPR):
"A defendant is entitled (b) to have adequate time and facilities
for the preparation of his defence and to communicate with counsel of
his own choosing; (d) to be tried in his presence, and to defend
himself in person or through legal assistance of his own choosing; to
be informed, if he does not have legal assistance, of this right; and
to have legal assistance assigned to him, in any case where the
interests of justice so require, and without payment by him in any such
case if he does not have sufficient means to pay for it; (e) to
examine, or have examined, the witnesses against him and to obtain the
attendance and examination of witnesses on his behalf under the same
conditions as witnesses against him."
The ICTY at The Hague makes a mockery of such standard international
legal principles in its total disregard of President Milosevic’s ill
health and request for an adjournment.
Basic decency and justice demands that the U.S. Section of the ICDSM
call upon those orchestrating the tribunal’s process against President
Milosevic to adjourn the process for a period of at least two years and
end the ban on visitation rights. But above all the U.S. section seeks
the immediate release of President Milosevic from his unlawful
imprisonment and an end to the sinister proceedings organized by the
ICTY show-trial at The Hague. The ICDSM calls upon the citizens of all
nations concerned with the violation of human rights to join in this
protest. The U.S. National Section of the ICDSM shall, in the near
future, publish a pamphlet on the illegitimate and sinister nature of
The Hague tribunal, hold press conferences, and create a website to
educate and engage the American public about the outrages of this court
funded by U.S. taxpayers’ dollars.
=== 2 ===
Truth or Inquisition - make your choice! (SLOBODA to UN Secretary
General and Permanent Members of SC)
To: Secretary General of the Organization of United Nations, H.E. Kofi
A. Annan (via UN Office in Belgrade)
To the Governments of:
Peoples' Republic of China
Republic of France
Russian Federation
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United States of America
(via their embassies in Belgrade)
The Association of Citizens "Sloboda/Freedom" - Yugoslav
Committee for the Release of Slobodan Milosevic, expressing the opinion
of the large number of citizens, stresses the hard violations of human
rights, as well as of generally accepted legal, juridical and moral
norms by the so-called International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia at The Hague (acting on the basis of the mandate by the UN
Security Council) in the process conducted against the long-term
President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of
Serbia Mr. Slobodan Milosevic.
In the so-called Pre-defense Hearing, hold at The Hague on
September 2nd, 2003, the Tribunal has shown its unwillingness to
satisfy, even in minimum extent, the principle of equality of arms
between its own Prosecution and the right to defense, allegedly
recognized by the Tribunal. If this expressed unwillingness would
remain, every impartial observer will come to the conclusion that a
modern inquisition exists within the UN system with the only objective
to protect interests of NATO in the Balkans and that the most
responsible for that are the permanent members of the UN Security
Council.
The Tribunal has shown unwillingness to accept a gentleman
proposal by President Milosevic. President Milosevic requested
two-years break of the process, during which period he could prepare
presentation of his evidence and witnesses in order to confront with
truth, in the second phase of the process, the distorted facts and
fabricated evidence, the
Prosecution is presenting for two years already. He had in mind that in
preparing its case, the Prosecution used several years of work of
several hundred of people, financed by the enormous UN budget and
assisted by the intelligence services of some big countries. For its
work, with practically unlimited resources, the Prosecution had at
least four and a half years
(since May 1999), although everybody knows that many materials
collected since the founding of the Tribunal in 1993, have been used as
well.
Furthermore, The Hague Tribunal by the length and rhythm of the process
and by the denial of the appropriate medical care threatens the life
and health of President Milosevic.
President Milosevic is deprived of visits of his inner family
members. By the recent Tribunal's decision, he is also deprived of
visits of his closest associates, members of the Committee for his
release and members of his Party, by which the right to defense is also
denied. Besides, any contact with media is totally forbidden to
President Milosevic, while at the same time, the Prosecution talks to
media daily.
Due to the state of health of President Milosevic, due to
equality and right to defense, and in the interest of truth, we demand
a two-year break of the Hague process, during which President Milosevic
would be set free, in order to recuperate his health and in order to
have minimum conditions to prepare evidence and witnesses for the
second phase of the process. We also demand cease of other violations
of his rights.
The only alternative to this, with which the reputation of the
World organization and of the governments most responsible for its
decisions, would not be most seriously damaged, is immediate abolition
of the Hague Tribunal.
Belgrade, September 3rd, 2003
Respectfully,
On behalf of Sloboda/Freedom Association - The Yugoslav
Committee for the Release of Slobodan Milosevic,
Bogoljub Bjelica, Chairman
=== 3 ===
Russian Parliamentarians Stand for Rights of President Milosevic
Moscow, September 12th, 2003
Around 30 MPs of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, from several
parliamentary factions, have signed today a joint communiqué, reacting
in strongest terms to the violation of the fundamental rights of
President Milosevic at The Hague and fully endorsing his request for a
two-years break of the process, combined with his release from
detention.
Among the signatories are Gennadi Zyuganov, head of the
Communist Faction, the most numerous in Duma, Nikolai Charitonov, head
of Agroindustrial Faction, Nikolai Rizhkov, former Soviet Prime
Minister and chairman of the Duma Commission for Yugoslavia, general
Andrei Nikolaev, chairman of the Duma Committee for Defense and several
other chairmen and vice-chairmen of various Duma committees.
The Communiqué states that the indictment against President
Milosevic already totally collapsed, in spite the enormous resources
used to prepare it. If now President Milosevic would not be provided
with adequate conditions to prepare his case and if the visit ban and
other forms of pressure, lack of medical care in particular, continue,
it would be a definitive confirmation that political harassment which
goes on at The Hague has nothing in common with judiciary, is the
conclusion of the Communiqué.
Since the autumn session of the State Duma has not been started yet,
the important Russian MPs decided to appear with this public statement,
considering it urgent to react to last week's developments at the
Tribunal, when judges stated that they might determine conditions for
preparation of President Milosevic's case which would be far below the
necessary minimum.
Signatures for the Joint Communiqué are still being collected.
Below we give the full text of the statement of the Russian MPs.
SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC HAS TO OBTAIN TIME AND CONDITIONS NECESSARY TO
PREPARE
HIS DEFENSE
- Joint Communiqué -
The process against the former President of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic is lasting for almost two years already.
During all that time, after they have submitted mountains of suspicious
documents, brought hundreds of false witnesses and spent hundreds of
millions of dollars from the UN budget, the prosecutors of the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
haven't succeeded to show any evidence of guilt of the Serbian leader
for the alleged crimes.
The Prosecution undergoes a total fiasco. Soon, the phase of
defense of Slobodan Milosevic (who was until now allowed only to
cross-examine witnesses of the Prosecution) should start.
Slobodan Milosevic has numerous and convincing confirmations of his
innocence. Nevertheless, the organization of the defense requires
serious preparations. The indictment against Slobodan Milosevic has
been prepared for more than four years with participation of hundreds
of ICTY employees. Slobodan Milosevic presents his own defense in
person and alone.
For preparation of his defense he has the right to use the same amount
of time as the ICTY prosecutors spent preparing the indictment.
"Equality of arms", in fact of conditions for defense and
prosecution is one of the fundamental norms of International Law,
guaranteed by many documents, including the European Convention on
human rights. And that assumes the right for adequate time and
necessary conditions for the preparation of defense.
We condemn the recent decision of the ICTY to ban visits with
Slobodan Milosevic by the members of the Socialist Party of Serbia and
"Sloboda (Freedom)" Association, the committee for his support. The aim
of this decision is to strengthen the isolation of President Milosevic.
This is obviously a dangerous measure of moral and psychological
pressure against a political prisoner.
Slobodan Milosevic has to have the possibility to conduct his
defense not from the prison cell, but from freedom. Otherwise, an
adequate preparation for defense is impossible.
At the same time, he has to have the possibility to recuperate
his health, seriously damaged by the several years of imprisonment, by
the exhausting court process and by the lack of qualified medical
assistance. We are deeply worried by the fact that Slobodan Milosevic
is still deprived of qualified medical care. That creates a real threat
to his life.
Taking all the above-mentioned into account, and also
considering the seriousness and the broadness of the accusations, we
demand a break in the process against Slobodan Milosevic, lasting at
least two years. We also demand his immediate release and return to
Belgrade in order
to recuperate his health. The persecution of his family has to cease.
Without fulfilling these demands, the process against Slobodan
Milosevic will remain an open political harassment, having nothing in
common with judiciary.
1. U.S. National Section of the International Committee to Defend
Slobodan Milosevic - Press Release
#1
(September 13, 2003)
2. Truth or Inquisition - make your choice! (SLOBODA to UN Secretary
General and Permanent Members of SC, 3/9/2003)
3. Russian Parliamentarians Stand for Rights of President Milosevic
(Moscow, September 12th, 2003)
The documents have been forwarded to us by SLOBODA, Belgrade:
http://www.sloboda.org.yu/
SLOBODA urgently needs your donation.
Please find the detailed instructions at:
http://www.sloboda.org.yu/pomoc.htm
To join or help this struggle, visit:
http://www.sloboda.org.yu/ (Sloboda/Freedom association)
http://www.icdsm.org/ (the international committee to defend Slobodan
Milosevic)
http://www.free-slobo.de/ (German section of ICDSM)
http://www.icdsmireland.org/ (ICDSM Ireland)
http://www.wpc-in.org/ (world peace council)
http://www.geocities.com/b_antinato/ (Balkan antiNATO center)
=== 1 ===
US Committee: In the Show-Trial of President Milosevic Basic Human and
Democratic Rights Violated
ICDSM-US
U.S. National Section of the International Committee to Defend Slobodan
Milosevic
Press Release
#1
September 13, 2003
Telephone: 212-726-1260
Email: icdsm_us@...
For Immediate Release:
PRESS RELEASE: PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE FORMATION OF THE U.S. SECTION
OF THE ICDSM AND A STATEMENT AGAINST THE ICTY’S MOST RECENT VIOLATIONS
OF INTERNATIONAL LAW AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Today some two dozen writers, academics, attorneys and peace and human
rights activists announce the formation of a new organization to fight
for an immediate end to the disgraceful show-trial of Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic by the International Criminal Tribunal for
the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.
The new committee shall be known as the U.S. National Section of the
International Committee to Defend Slobodan Milosevic, and it shall work
in full cooperation with the leadership of the ICDSM in Belgrade and
Europe as its official representative in the United States. The Chair
of the Committee is Dr. Michael Parenti of Berkeley, California a
leading international scholar and the author of To Kill A Nation: The
Attack on Yugoslavia.
The U.S. Section of the ICDSM rejects the legitimacy of this trial and
that of the ICTY as well. But at the same time we cannot stand by
without protesting the gross violations of fundamental legal,
democratic and human rights visited upon Mr. Milosevic by this court.
We view this trial as an act of political warfare against the people of
Serbia and against the basic democratic rights of the whole of humanity
that cannot be allowed to succeed.
The U.S. Section of the ICDSM charges the ICTY and the American
government with falsifying war crimes charges against President
Milosevic solely for the purpose of manipulating public opinion against
the people of Serbia and justifying NATO's barbaric 78-day campaign of
terror against Yugoslavia in 1999, as well as to deflect attention from
the real crimes against the people of Yugoslavia committed by the US
and its NATO allies over the course of the last thirteen years. These
include but are not limited to the break up of Yugoslavia and the
imposition of neo-colonial regimes in each of the former republics. The
ICTY represents a continuation of this policy of aggression and
occupation and a dangerous precedent for all nations who dare to oppose
U.S. or Western foreign policy.
As its first act the US Section of the ICDSM is issuing this urgent
public protest against the ICTY’s most recent violations of the norms
of international law and human rights.
In recent weeks the ICTY has flagrantly violated some internationally
accepted legal norms by failing to provide adequate medical attention
for President Milosevic, by denying visitation rights to President
Milosevic’s closest advisors, and, most recently, by denying Mr.
Milosevic’s request for a two year break in the trial for adequate
preparation for his defense. In all three of these cases, the actions
of the tribunal are designed to prevent President Milosevic from
conducting his defense.
Above all the ICTY has deliberately undermined the health and physical
capacity of President Milosevic by refusing to grant adequate medical
assistance and an adjournment.
The past two years of imprisonment have severely damaged his health and
threatened his very life. In addition, the tribunal’s persecution of
Mr. Milosevic’s family and his forced isolation from them is an outrage
that must end.
By not granting Mr. Milosevic an adjournment and adequate medical care
the tribunal has exposed its own brutality while violating fundamental
norms of international law such as the presumption of innocence and due
process. Article 9 (3) of the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights states: "It shall not be the general rule that persons
awaiting trial shall be detained in custody, but release may be subject
to guarantees to appear for trial, at any other stage of the judicial
proceedings, and, should occasion arise, for execution of the
judgment." And in regard to due process, Article 9 (1) of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states: "No one
shall be deprived of his liberty except on such grounds and in
accordance with such procedure as are established by law."
The recent decisions of the ICTY also disregard the principle of
“equality of arms,” a fundamental norm of international law that is
intended to create credible conditions for the defense. According to
Article 14 (3) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights (ICCPR):
"A defendant is entitled (b) to have adequate time and facilities
for the preparation of his defence and to communicate with counsel of
his own choosing; (d) to be tried in his presence, and to defend
himself in person or through legal assistance of his own choosing; to
be informed, if he does not have legal assistance, of this right; and
to have legal assistance assigned to him, in any case where the
interests of justice so require, and without payment by him in any such
case if he does not have sufficient means to pay for it; (e) to
examine, or have examined, the witnesses against him and to obtain the
attendance and examination of witnesses on his behalf under the same
conditions as witnesses against him."
The ICTY at The Hague makes a mockery of such standard international
legal principles in its total disregard of President Milosevic’s ill
health and request for an adjournment.
Basic decency and justice demands that the U.S. Section of the ICDSM
call upon those orchestrating the tribunal’s process against President
Milosevic to adjourn the process for a period of at least two years and
end the ban on visitation rights. But above all the U.S. section seeks
the immediate release of President Milosevic from his unlawful
imprisonment and an end to the sinister proceedings organized by the
ICTY show-trial at The Hague. The ICDSM calls upon the citizens of all
nations concerned with the violation of human rights to join in this
protest. The U.S. National Section of the ICDSM shall, in the near
future, publish a pamphlet on the illegitimate and sinister nature of
The Hague tribunal, hold press conferences, and create a website to
educate and engage the American public about the outrages of this court
funded by U.S. taxpayers’ dollars.
=== 2 ===
Truth or Inquisition - make your choice! (SLOBODA to UN Secretary
General and Permanent Members of SC)
To: Secretary General of the Organization of United Nations, H.E. Kofi
A. Annan (via UN Office in Belgrade)
To the Governments of:
Peoples' Republic of China
Republic of France
Russian Federation
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United States of America
(via their embassies in Belgrade)
The Association of Citizens "Sloboda/Freedom" - Yugoslav
Committee for the Release of Slobodan Milosevic, expressing the opinion
of the large number of citizens, stresses the hard violations of human
rights, as well as of generally accepted legal, juridical and moral
norms by the so-called International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia at The Hague (acting on the basis of the mandate by the UN
Security Council) in the process conducted against the long-term
President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of
Serbia Mr. Slobodan Milosevic.
In the so-called Pre-defense Hearing, hold at The Hague on
September 2nd, 2003, the Tribunal has shown its unwillingness to
satisfy, even in minimum extent, the principle of equality of arms
between its own Prosecution and the right to defense, allegedly
recognized by the Tribunal. If this expressed unwillingness would
remain, every impartial observer will come to the conclusion that a
modern inquisition exists within the UN system with the only objective
to protect interests of NATO in the Balkans and that the most
responsible for that are the permanent members of the UN Security
Council.
The Tribunal has shown unwillingness to accept a gentleman
proposal by President Milosevic. President Milosevic requested
two-years break of the process, during which period he could prepare
presentation of his evidence and witnesses in order to confront with
truth, in the second phase of the process, the distorted facts and
fabricated evidence, the
Prosecution is presenting for two years already. He had in mind that in
preparing its case, the Prosecution used several years of work of
several hundred of people, financed by the enormous UN budget and
assisted by the intelligence services of some big countries. For its
work, with practically unlimited resources, the Prosecution had at
least four and a half years
(since May 1999), although everybody knows that many materials
collected since the founding of the Tribunal in 1993, have been used as
well.
Furthermore, The Hague Tribunal by the length and rhythm of the process
and by the denial of the appropriate medical care threatens the life
and health of President Milosevic.
President Milosevic is deprived of visits of his inner family
members. By the recent Tribunal's decision, he is also deprived of
visits of his closest associates, members of the Committee for his
release and members of his Party, by which the right to defense is also
denied. Besides, any contact with media is totally forbidden to
President Milosevic, while at the same time, the Prosecution talks to
media daily.
Due to the state of health of President Milosevic, due to
equality and right to defense, and in the interest of truth, we demand
a two-year break of the Hague process, during which President Milosevic
would be set free, in order to recuperate his health and in order to
have minimum conditions to prepare evidence and witnesses for the
second phase of the process. We also demand cease of other violations
of his rights.
The only alternative to this, with which the reputation of the
World organization and of the governments most responsible for its
decisions, would not be most seriously damaged, is immediate abolition
of the Hague Tribunal.
Belgrade, September 3rd, 2003
Respectfully,
On behalf of Sloboda/Freedom Association - The Yugoslav
Committee for the Release of Slobodan Milosevic,
Bogoljub Bjelica, Chairman
=== 3 ===
Russian Parliamentarians Stand for Rights of President Milosevic
Moscow, September 12th, 2003
Around 30 MPs of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, from several
parliamentary factions, have signed today a joint communiqué, reacting
in strongest terms to the violation of the fundamental rights of
President Milosevic at The Hague and fully endorsing his request for a
two-years break of the process, combined with his release from
detention.
Among the signatories are Gennadi Zyuganov, head of the
Communist Faction, the most numerous in Duma, Nikolai Charitonov, head
of Agroindustrial Faction, Nikolai Rizhkov, former Soviet Prime
Minister and chairman of the Duma Commission for Yugoslavia, general
Andrei Nikolaev, chairman of the Duma Committee for Defense and several
other chairmen and vice-chairmen of various Duma committees.
The Communiqué states that the indictment against President
Milosevic already totally collapsed, in spite the enormous resources
used to prepare it. If now President Milosevic would not be provided
with adequate conditions to prepare his case and if the visit ban and
other forms of pressure, lack of medical care in particular, continue,
it would be a definitive confirmation that political harassment which
goes on at The Hague has nothing in common with judiciary, is the
conclusion of the Communiqué.
Since the autumn session of the State Duma has not been started yet,
the important Russian MPs decided to appear with this public statement,
considering it urgent to react to last week's developments at the
Tribunal, when judges stated that they might determine conditions for
preparation of President Milosevic's case which would be far below the
necessary minimum.
Signatures for the Joint Communiqué are still being collected.
Below we give the full text of the statement of the Russian MPs.
SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC HAS TO OBTAIN TIME AND CONDITIONS NECESSARY TO
PREPARE
HIS DEFENSE
- Joint Communiqué -
The process against the former President of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic is lasting for almost two years already.
During all that time, after they have submitted mountains of suspicious
documents, brought hundreds of false witnesses and spent hundreds of
millions of dollars from the UN budget, the prosecutors of the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
haven't succeeded to show any evidence of guilt of the Serbian leader
for the alleged crimes.
The Prosecution undergoes a total fiasco. Soon, the phase of
defense of Slobodan Milosevic (who was until now allowed only to
cross-examine witnesses of the Prosecution) should start.
Slobodan Milosevic has numerous and convincing confirmations of his
innocence. Nevertheless, the organization of the defense requires
serious preparations. The indictment against Slobodan Milosevic has
been prepared for more than four years with participation of hundreds
of ICTY employees. Slobodan Milosevic presents his own defense in
person and alone.
For preparation of his defense he has the right to use the same amount
of time as the ICTY prosecutors spent preparing the indictment.
"Equality of arms", in fact of conditions for defense and
prosecution is one of the fundamental norms of International Law,
guaranteed by many documents, including the European Convention on
human rights. And that assumes the right for adequate time and
necessary conditions for the preparation of defense.
We condemn the recent decision of the ICTY to ban visits with
Slobodan Milosevic by the members of the Socialist Party of Serbia and
"Sloboda (Freedom)" Association, the committee for his support. The aim
of this decision is to strengthen the isolation of President Milosevic.
This is obviously a dangerous measure of moral and psychological
pressure against a political prisoner.
Slobodan Milosevic has to have the possibility to conduct his
defense not from the prison cell, but from freedom. Otherwise, an
adequate preparation for defense is impossible.
At the same time, he has to have the possibility to recuperate
his health, seriously damaged by the several years of imprisonment, by
the exhausting court process and by the lack of qualified medical
assistance. We are deeply worried by the fact that Slobodan Milosevic
is still deprived of qualified medical care. That creates a real threat
to his life.
Taking all the above-mentioned into account, and also
considering the seriousness and the broadness of the accusations, we
demand a break in the process against Slobodan Milosevic, lasting at
least two years. We also demand his immediate release and return to
Belgrade in order
to recuperate his health. The persecution of his family has to cease.
Without fulfilling these demands, the process against Slobodan
Milosevic will remain an open political harassment, having nothing in
common with judiciary.