Milosevic "trial" suspended again

1. ICTY PRESS RELEASE: No trial next week but hearing scheduled
regarding prosecution motion on implications of the accused's recurring
ill health

2. OPEN LETTER from the Irish Committee

3. OPEN LETTER TO THE DANISH PRIME MINISTER
Copenhagen, 25/9/2003


=== 1 ===


ICTY - September 25, 2003
Press Advisory . Avis pour information
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)

The Hague, 25 September 2003
P.I.S./PA131

MILOSEVIC CASE:
NO TRIAL NEXT WEEK BUT HEARING SCHEDULED REGARDING PROSECUTION MOTION
ON IMPLICATIONS OF THE ACCUSED’S RECURRING ILL HEALTH

Please be advised that the Milosevic trial next week, Monday 29
September to Friday 3 October 2003, has been cancelled due to the
ill-health of the accused.
However, following the filing on 23 September 2003 of the "Prosecution
Motion for a Hearing to Discuss the Implications of the Accused’s
Recurring Ill Health", Trial Chamber III has ordered that it shall
hear oral submissions of the parties, including the amici curiae, on
Tuesday, 30 September 2003 at 10.00 a.m. in Courtroom I.

Copyright 2003 ICTY P.I.S.
Posted for Fair Use Only


=== 2 ===


OPEN LETTER (No. 5)

RE: PERSECUTION OF PRESIDENT SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC

The International Committee to Defend Slobodan Milosevic (Irish Branch)
joins with the United States National Section of the International
Committee to Defend Slobodan Milosevic, and many other National and
International Committees, Organisations and individuals in raising
protest against the
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia's violations
of human rights and international law in the treatment of President
Slobodan Milosevic in The Hague, Netherlands.
In this politically motivated trial staged to direct attention away
from NATO and the West's responsibility for the debacle in the Balkans
victimisation of the former leader of Yugoslavia is becoming
increasingly obvious well beyond the parameters of The Hague in the
Netherlands.
The denial to Mr Milosevic of adequate medical attention given the
parlous state of his health is in violation of the Geneva Convention
and the European Declaration of Human Rights.
From simply the standpoint of common decency this denial is an outrage.
No medical attention in a life threatening situation. Visiting rights
denied both to Mr Milosevic's closest advisers and, disgracefully, to
members of his own family.
We demand release of President Milosevic for at least two years, for
health recuperation and adequate preparation for the presentation of
true facts on Balkan tragedy. Denial by the tribunal to take care of
his health and to let him prepare his presentation is a clear sign of a
desperate fear from the truth.
Clearly the purpose of these actions is to undermine Mr Milosevic's
capacity to defend himself in the face of trumped up charges in this
contemporary version of the Inquisition.

June Kelly
Coordinator
International Committee to Defend Slobodan Milosevic (Irish Branch)
23 Prospect Court
Dublin Road
Mullingar
County Westmeath
Ireland
Tel/Fax: +044 45787
Email: cdsmireland@...
http://www.icdsmireland.org


FROM:THE COMMITTEE TO DEFEND SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC (ICDSM Ireland)

TO:
Mr. Theodor Meron, President The Trial Chamber III: Mr. Richard May,
Presiding, Mr. Patrick Robinson, Mr. O-Gon Kwon
Office of the Prosecutor: Mr Geoffrey Nice, Ms Hildergaard
Uertz-Retzlaff, Dermot Groome Amici Curiae: Mr Steven Kay, Mr Branislav
Tapuskovic, Mr Timothy McCormack Mr. Hans Holthuis, Registrar

International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia,
Churchillplein 1, 2517JW, The Hague, Netherlands. PO Box 13888, 2501EW
The Hague, Netherlands.

Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights - Geneva
World Health Organisation - Geneva
International Committee of the Red Cross - Geneva

Copies to: Office of The UN Secretary General, First Avenue, 46th
Street, NY 10017, USA
The Permanent Missions of the Members of the UN Security Council - New
York


=== 3 ===


OPEN LETTER TO THE DANISH PRIME MINISTER

Copenhagen, 25 September, 2003

Dear Anders Fogh Rasmussen,

May I draw your attention to the current position at the U.N.
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The
Hague, where the Prosecution's case in the socalled "trial" against the
former President of The
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, mr. Slobodan Milosevic, is now grinding
towards its final halt, - after next to two years of proceedings.
On the eve of the Prosecution's case, new accusations have been
levelled against mr. Milosevic by Belgrade authorities, to which he has
responded with calm and clarity (1).

As you will probably have learned these ICTY proceedings were cancelled
for most of this week (Tuesday 23 to Friday 26 September) due to the
ill health of the accused; I have just been informed by mr. Krsljanin,
the secretary of the
SLOBODA/Freedom Association in Belgrade, that mr. Milosevic is actually
deemed to be in a life-threatening situation.

The former president, I am told, suffers from malignant hypertension
and his heart is damaged. Now in permanent risk of a heart attack or a
brain-stroke his health and ability to stand the second half of the
process cannot be recuperated under prison conditions.

The ICTY has flagrantly violated legal norms by failing to provide
adequate medical attention for mr. Milosevic (2), by denying visitation
rights to his closest advisors (3) and by threatening to deny him
adequate conditions for the preparation of his defence case (4).

The recent decision of the Tribunal (2 September, 2003) to give mr.
Milosevic only three months to prepare his defence case in the prison,
which has been widely protested internationally, in my opinion serves
to prove that the Tribunal unfairly aims at making the task of the
former president impossible by depriving him of reasonable conditions
and by increasing the threat to
his life.

Mr. Milosevic has argued for two years of preparation in freedom, - a
demand that I hereby wish to expressly support.

I urge you to use your good office to secure, that as from now mr.
Milosevic be given a fair trial with respect for internationally
accepted legal norms and under complete equality of arms.

yours sincerely,

Godfred Louis-Jensen, architect


References:

(1) President Milosevic's public response to the charges, 17 August 2003
http://www.sloboda.org.yu/engleski/slobaE170803.htm

(2) Appeal to the Tribunal by 10 medical doctors, 18 September 2003
http://www.icdsm.org/more/gemdoctors3.htm

(3) Letter to the Tribunal by ICDSM co-chair Valkanov and attorneys
Black, Kuznecov and Verges of the ICDSM Legal Committee, 26 August 2003
http://www.icdsm.org/more/isolat.htm

(3) Statement of the Russian Parliamentarians in Duma, 12 September 2003
http://www.icdsm.org/more/ruspar.htm

(3) Statement of the U.S. Section of the ICDSM, 13 September 2003
http://www.icdsm.org/more/icdsmus1.htm

(4) Statement of the Russian Section of the ICDSM, 18 September 2003
http://www.icdsm.org/more/ruscom180903.htm

c.c. SLOBODA/Freedom Association

---

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)