(english / italiano)

"Processo" Milosevic / Milosevic "trial":
IL GIUDICE MAY HA GETTATO LA SPUGNA,
TUTTO E' FERMO !


1. Udienza del 2/2 sospesa per motivi di salute / Milosevic ill,
hearings cancelled, re-scheduling

2. Former state security chief claims had been asked to
accuse Milosevic / L'EX CAPO DEI SERVIZI RADE MARKOVIC RIVELA: IL
MINISTRO DEGLI INTERNI DUSAN MIHAJLOVIC MI HA CHIESTO DI ACCUSARE
MILOSEVIC

3. FEBRUARY 10, 2004 - VENEZUELAN AMBASSADOR TO UN TESTIFIES AGAINST
MILOSEVIC

4. TPI PROROGA RESTRIZIONE A COMUNICAZIONI SLOBO

5. BILJANA PLAVSIC NON TESTIMONIERA' A PROCESSO MILOSEVIC / Plavsic
refuses to testify at Milosevic trial: sources

6. PROBLEMI SALUTE, DUE SETTIMANE SENZA UDIENZE / MILOSEVIC ILL,
"TRIAL" DELAYED AGAIN AND AGAIN...
NEW RE-SCHEDULING

7. IL GIUDICE MAY GETTA LA SPUGNA ! JUDGE MAY RESIGNES !

8. MILOSEVIC: TPI, PIENO DI INCOGNITE FUTURO PROCESSO / ANSA


=== DA ICDSM ITALIA RICEVIAMO E DIFFONDIAMO ===

La Sezione Italiana dell'ICDSM ringrazia tutti quelli che hanno finora
contribuito alla campagna di finanziamento per la difesa di Milosevic.
La richiesta dell'ICDSM internazionale, tuttavia, e' che tali sforzi
vengano RADDOPPIATI nel prossimo futuro, poiche' le spese sono ingenti.
Non esistono altre fonti di finanziamento: la situazione a Belgrado e'
irrespirabile, i lavoratori ... non lavorano, chi ha i soldi per
mangiare li tiene stretti e non rischia certo la galera in attivita'
politiche o di solidarieta' a favore di Milosevic, che viene presentato
dai media laggiu' esattamente come da noi, cioe' come un dittatore
criminale e ferrovecchio. I nuovi ricchi votano i partiti
filo-occidentali e di destra e non appoggiano certo Milosevic. Per di
piu', alla campagna per
Milosevic l'SPS e' sostanzialmente ESTRANEO, poiche' la leadership
parlamentare di quel partito ha scelto una linea accomodante con
Kostunica ed e' in rotta di collisione con il gruppo organizzatosi
attorno a SLOBODA (sezione belgradese dell'ICDSM).
A tutti deve essere infine chiaro che non esiste alcun "tesoro
nascosto" di Milosevic e che il nostro impegno e' insostituibile ed
indispensabile.

Per contribuire dall'Italia:

Conto Corrente Postale numero 86557006
intestato ad Adolfo Amoroso, ROMA
causale: DIFESA MILOSEVIC

Per contatti:

ICDSM - Sezione Italiana
c/o GAMADI, Via L. Da Vinci 27
00043 Ciampino (Roma)
email: icdsm-italia@...


=== 1 ===


MILOSEVIC: TPI, UDIENZA DI DOMANI SOSPESA PER MOTIVI SALUTE

(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 2 FEB - Nuova sospensione per ''motivi di
salute'' del processo in corso all'Aja di Slobodan Milosevic da parte
del Tribunale penale internazionale sull'ex Jugoslavia. Lo ha reso
noto un comunicato della Corte dell'Aja, precisando che l'udienza
prevista per domani non avra' luogo proprio per le condizioni di
salute dell'ex presidente jugoslavo. Il processo contro 'Slobo',
62 anni, iniziato nel febbraio di due anni fa, e' stato interrotto
piu' di una decina di occasioni a causa dello stato di salute
dell'imputato, e cioe' per influenze, spossatezza e soprattutto
problemi di pressione. Milosevic e' accusato al Tpi di genocidio,
crimini di guerra e contro l'umanita' per i conflitti balcanici dei
primi anni '90. (ANSA).
RIG 02/02/2004 18:23
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/serbiamontenegro/20040202182332832026.html

---

http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/icty020204.htm

Press Advisory . Avis pour information
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)

The Hague, 2 February 2004
JM/P.I.S./PA158

MILOSEVIC TRIAL:
HEARING ON TUESDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2004 CANCELLED

Please be advised that the hearing on Tuesday 3 February 2004 in the
Milosevic trial has been cancelled due to the ill health of the
accused.

For further information please call: +31 (70) 512-5343 or 512-5356.

---

http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/icty020504.htm

Case No.: IT-02-54-T

IN THE TRIAL CHAMBER

Before:
Judge Richard May, Presiding
Judge Patrick Robinson
Judge O-Gon Kwon

Registrar:
Mr. Hans Holthuis

Decision of:
5 February 2004

PROSECUTOR v. SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC


ORDER SCHEDULING HEARINGS TO THE CLOSE OF THE PROSECUTION CASE


The Office of the Prosecutor
Ms. Carla Del Ponte
Mr. Geoffrey Nice
Mr. Dermot Groome

The Accused
Mr. Slobodan Milosevic

Amici Curiae
Mr. Steven Kay, QC
Mr. Branislav Tapuskovic
Mr. Timothy L.H. McCormack

THIS TRIAL CHAMBER of the International Tribunal for the Prosecution
of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International
Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia
since 1991 ("the International Tribunal"),

Proprio motu

NOTING that the Prosecution is to conclude its case within seven
sitting days,

CONSIDERING that the Trial Chamber was required to cancel the
proceedings for the sitting days of 3 to 5 February 2004 due to the
illness of the Accused, and that it is in the interests of justice
that the Prosecution case be brought to a close by 19 February 2004,

CONSIDERING that it is therefore appropriate to schedule the remainder
of the Prosecution case to be completed in five sitting days, the
times for which will be lengthened to accommodate the remaining time
available to the Prosecution to conclude its case,

CONSIDERING that because the Accused must prepare for five longer
sitting days in circumstances where he is currently unwell, and
because the longer sitting days will create a requirement for the
Accused to make preparations outside of the normal sitting schedule,
it is appropriate for the Registrar to provide whatever reasonable
assistance the Accused may require to prepare for court,

PURSUANT TO Rule 54 of the Rules,

HEREBY ORDERS AS FOLLOWS:

The Trial Chamber will sit in this case on Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday, 10 – 12 February 2004 and Wednesday and Thursday, 18 – 19
February 2004, at the following times:

9am – 10.30am
11am – 12.30pm
2pm – 3.15pm
3.30pm – 4.45pm

which shall be the time available for the Prosecution to conclude
its case; and

The Registrar is requested to lend all appropriate assistance to the
Accused in order to facilitate his preparation for court under the
revised sitting schedule.

Done in English and French, the English text being authoritative.


Patrick Robinson
Judge

Dated this fifth day of February 2004
At The Hague
The Netherlands

[Seal of the Tribunal]


=== 2 ===


L'EX CAPO DEI SERVIZI RADE MARKOVIC RIVELA: IL MINISTRO DEGLI INTERNI
DUSAN MIHAJLOVIC MI HA CHIESTO DI ACCUSARE MILOSEVIC

http://www.tanjug.co.yu/
EYug.htm#Former%20state%20security%20chief%20claims%20had%20been%20asked
%20to%20accuse%20Milosevic
Tanjug - February 3, 2004

Former state security chief claims had been asked to
accuse Milosevic

20:38 BELGRADE , Feb 3 (Tanjug) - At the retrial for
the murder of four Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO)
officials in 1999, former Serbian Satate Security
Service (RDB) chief Radomir Markovic said Tuesday that
Serbian Minister of the Interior Dusan Mihajlovic had
asked him to accuse former Yugoslav president Slobodan
Milosevic of this crime and some others.
Markovic said that he had been offered in exchange
personal safety, lifelong financial support and choice
of his future country of residence.


=== 3 ===


http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smorg021004.htm

MILOSEVIC "TRIAL" SYNOPSIS - FEBRUARY 10, 2004 - VENEZUELAN AMBASSADOR
TO UN TESTIFIES AGAINST MILOSEVIC
www.slobodan-milosevic.org - February 11, 2004

Tuesday, February 10, 2004 – Reynauld Theunens finished his testimony.
He was cross-examined by Mr. Tapuskovic, and some useful points were
raised.

Mr. Tapuskovic began his cross-examination of this witness on January
28th. On the 28th Tapuskovic managed to use this witness to prove that
the JNA never issued a single order to any paramilitary formation.

On Tuesday Mr. Tapuskovic asked the witness questions raised by the
transcript of the July 1, 1991 SFRY Presidency session.

From the transcript it can be seen that Yugoslavia’s former Defense
Minister, Veljko Kadijevic, is asking the presidency for permission to
disarm all armed formations on the territory of the SFRY except for the
JNA.

You can also see from the transcript that the only person who is
opposed to the disarming of these illegal armed groups is the President
of the Presidency, Mr. Stjepan Mesic.

Mesic explained that he couldn’t go along with the proposal to disarm
illegal paramilitary formations because he “couldn’t go back to
Croatia as a traitor.” In other words, Croatia was preparing to fight a
war. The next month, in August of 1991 the Croatian paramilitaries
attacked the JNA and laid siege on them in their barracks.

Mr. Theunens tried to pretend as if he hadn’t seen this document
before. It is hard to believe that he could miss a document of this
sort. As I said in the last report, Mr. Theunens is an employee of the
Office of the Prosecutor, and this document was exhibited on the very
first day of the Croatia phase of the “trial,” and has been referred
to many times since.

After Theunens withdrew President Milosevic made objections to some
recent decisions made by the “tribunal”. First of all the “tribunal”
has extended the communications ban on him. He is still cut off from
the outside world. President Milosevic objected to this because he
rightly pointed out that it will be impossible for him to prepare his
defense if he is under a communications ban.

He also objected to the longer sitting days, because the detention
unit locks down at 5 PM, and with the “trial” ending at 4:45 PM he has
no chance to meet with his associates to plan out his cross-examination
for the next day.

After his objections were heard the next witness was brought in. Diego
Enrique Arlie was Venezuela’s permanent representative to the UN in
1992-93.

Mr. Arlie was a regular drama queen. He employed the method of
“support and justification masquerading as dissent.” Mr. Arlie was
critical of the international community because he thought that it
wasn’t hard enough on the Serbs.

The man had only been to Yugoslavia once during the war. On April
23-26, 1993 he visited Belgrade, Zagreb, and a handful of places in
Bosnia. He claimed that the information he got from the UN was flawed,
and so he relied on the media for his information.

Because he was ignorant, and clearly incapable of answering the
questions put to him, he spoke in sound bytes that were obviously
designed for the media. He used the term “slow motion genocide”
countless times to refer to the situation in Srebrenia, and he said
that Srebrenica was “a concentration camp policed by the UN.” Of
course he failed to mention that Srebrenica’s male inhabitants, led by
Nasir Oric, were using the so-called “safe area” as a staging ground
to launch attacks on the neighboring Serbian villages.

As I said before, Mr. Arlie was a drama queen. He acted all dramatic
and emotional, just like a teenage girl. He took his so-called
“criticism” of the international community to ridiculous extremes, and
in doing so he probably ruined his career. I would imagine that he got
more than a few angry phone calls the next day.

In his written statement, Arlie said that Cyrus Vance, David Owen, and
Butros Butros Gali were conspiring with Milosevic to create a “greater
Serbia” and were conspiring to implement apartheid in Bosnia. He went
on to say that Butros Butros Gali was withholding and fabricating
information in order to mislead the UN.

In spite of the fact that President Milosevic read all of this out of
the witness’s own statement and the witness stood by his statement;
the witness denied accusing anybody but Milosevic of anything.

Those sound like accusations to me. In fact, they sound like very
serious accusations. Mr. Arlie had probably realized by now that he
was in over his head, and so he was trying to back off of his
accusations, but alas he had already made them.

Slobodan Milosevic asked Mr. Arlie if he was aware that Bosnia was a
civil war. Of course Arlie tried to say that it wasn’t, he said that
Milosevic tried to invade and conquer Bosnia. Mr. Arlie explained that
the VRS “didn’t appear in Bosnia by magic” and so he concluded that
Milosevic must have sent them there.

Apparently Mr. Arlie was unaware that the members of the VRS lived in
Bosnia. They were Bosnian Serbs. Milosevic didn’t send them there.
They just lived there. Quite frankly, if the only alternative that Mr.
Arlie could see besides “Milosevic sending them there” was magic, then
I have to wonder about his intelligence.

In order to prove this point, President Milosevic showed Mr. Arlie a
report of the UN Secretary General dated May 30, 1992. In the report
it said quite clearly that JNA soldiers from Serbia and Montenegro were
being withdrawn to Serbia and Montenegro, while soldiers who were
indigenous to Bosnia stayed in Bosnia, and were no longer under the
control of Belgrade. It wasn’t magic at all. The VRS was formed by
those JNA soldiers who were native to Bosnia. Nobody sent them there.
They just stayed there where they lived. The report said that Croatia,
on the other hand, had its regular troops in Bosnia.

When Mr. Arlie was first shown the report he tried to say that it was
a forgery. Mr. Robinson then said that he was familiar with UN
documents and that he wanted to have a look at it. Mr. Robinson looked
at the document, and concluded that it was authentic. He then
instructed Mr. Arlie to answer the questions. Of course Arlie didn’t
want to answer the questions and so he refused, because he said he had
never seen the document before.

Even after seeing the report of the Secretary General. Arlie continued
to maintain that Bosnia was not a civil war. To prove his point he
employed some of the most “magnificent” logic that I’ve ever seen. He
asked Milosevic a rhetorical question. He said, “If Bosnia was a civil
war then how come we put sanctions on you?” As if his own stupid
actions could somehow prove Milosevic’s actions.

Milosevic, who was obviously taken aback by the sheer stupidity of the
witness, calmly and politely explained that Peter Hohenfellner, the
Austrian Ambassador who was supposed to present the report of the
Secretary General to the Security Council withheld the report until
after the sanctions were imposed on the FRY.

It is a matter of record. The report is dated May 30, 1992. The
sanctions were imposed the same day, and Hohenfeller didn’t present the
report until after the decision to impose the sanctions had been
passed. In spite of what was right in front of his face, Mr. Arlie
stated his conviction that the Austrians wouldn’t withhold this
information, even though they were Croatia’s ally, and withholding it
would help Croatia, because the report incriminated the Croats.

Mr. Arlie, ever the drama queen, then presented this “compelling”
argument. He said that Belgrade was only masquerading as not having
command, and to support this claim he pointed out that Gen. Mladic
attended military school in Belgrade.

Way to go Sherlock! Of course Mladic attended military school in
Belgrade. Before the war, when Yugoslavia was all one country, Mladic
was an officer in the JNA, and like all officers in the JNA he attended
military school in Yugoslavia’s capital city, Belgrade. The fact that
Mr. Arlie would even make this sort of retarded argument demonstrates
just how dumb he is.

Mr. Arlie clearly hadn’t learned his lesson from earlier in the day,
and he persisted in slinging absurd accusations at everybody. He
accused the Swiss police of mistreating the Muslim delegates so that
they could not attend the Geneva peace conference. Maybe he thinks
Milosevic secretly controlled the Swiss police too.

One might think that with less than a week to present their case that
the prosecution would like to try bring in a witness who isn’t a
complete moron.

Unfortunately, I was unable to see the end of Arlie’s testimony. I was
watching the recorded video of the “trial” from the Bard college
website, and they cut off the last two sessions of the day.


=== 4 ===


MILOSEVIC: TPI PROROGA RESTRIZIONE A COMUNICAZIONI SLOBO

(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 10 FEB - Impedire una partecipazione attiva alla
vita politica della Serbia: e' questo l'obiettivo della decisione
annunciata oggi dal Tribunale penale internazionale dell'Aja sull'ex
Jugoslavia, che ha prorogato di trenta giorni le restrizioni imposte
tempo fa alle comunicazioni con l'esterno di Slobodan Milosevic.
La stessa decisione e' stata presa per il leader ultranazionalista
serbo Vojislav Seselj - anche lui detenuto delle carceri del Tpi - ha
detto la Corte dell'Aja, precisando di aver ordinato di vietare ogni
comunicazione sia di Milosevic sia di Seselj, ad eccezione di quelle
con i familiari, i legali e i rappresentanti diplomatici o consolari.
Nel caso dell'ex presidente della Jugoslavia - ha aggiunto il Tpi
- le restrizioni non si applicheranno ''per le comunicazioni e visite
necessarie alla preparazione della difesa dell'imputato'', a
condizione pero' che Milosevic ''non utilizzi tali contatti per
comunicare con i media''. Nel dicembre scorso, i giudici del Tpi
avevano sospeso per 30 giorni ogni visita, e contatti telefonici, di
Milosevic e Seselj, in vista delle elezioni politiche del 28 dicembre
scorso in Serbia. (ANSA). RIG 10/02/2004 12:50
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/serbiamontenegro/20040210125032838440.html


=== 5 ===


TPI: BILJANA PLAVSIC NON TESTIMONIERA' A PROCESSO MILOSEVIC

(ANSA) - L'AJA, 16 FEB - Biljana Plavsic, ex presidente dei serbi di
Bosnia, non testimoniera' davanti al Tribunale penale internazionale
(Tpi) nel processo contro l'ex presidente jugoslavo Slobodan
Milosevic. Lo ha detto oggi il procuratore del Tpi Carla Del Ponte,
in un'intervista all'Afp. Plavsic, condannata per crimini contro
l'umanita', era stata trasferita dalla Svezia - dove sta scontando la
pena - all'Aja per presentarsi davanti alla corte che giudica Slobo.
Ma dopo un incontro con Del Ponte ed i magistrati che rappresentano
la procura nel processo contro Milosevic e' stato deciso di
rinunciare alla sua testimonianza perche' all'accusa restano ancora
solo due udienze, quelle di mercoledi' e giovedi', e non c'e' tempo
per inserire la deposizione dell'ex presidente dei serbi di Bosnia.
In una dichiarazione fatta quando ha ammesso le sue responsabilita'
Plavsic ha indicato Milosevic quale uno dei principali responsabili
della campagna di pulizia etnica fatta contro le popolazioni croate e
musulmane di Bosnia. Del Ponte ha informato che Plavsic potrebbe
essere sentita quale testimone in altri processi in corso davanti al
Tpi, sempre per fatti accaduti nella ex Jugoslavia. Il processo
contro Milosevic e' giunto il 12 febbraio scorso al giro di boa. Dopo
due anni riservati all'accusa e ai suoi testimoni, dal 19 maggio la
parola passera' all'imputato. Milosevic e' accusato di crimini
contro l'umanita' e di guerra. (ANSA). VS 16/02/2004 12:39

---

Plavsic refuses to testify at Milosevic trial: sources

FoNet - February 13, 2004

THE HAGUE -- Friday – Former Bosnian Serb president and convicted war
criminal Biljana Plavsic has refused to testify at the trial of
Slobodan Milosevic, having been transferred to The Hague from prison
in Sweden, according to sources close to her family.
“I didn’t like Slobodan Milosevic, and he hated me,” sources quoted
Plavsic as saying, adding that the former Republika Srpska president
was not among Milosevic’s close associates and was unable to shed any
light on his actions.
Plavsic, who is serving an 11-year sentence, was transferred to the war
crimes tribunal in The Hague earlier this week, though it has not been
confirmed why she was called to testify.
A prosecutor in the Milosevic trial told the Trial Chamber today that
one of the prosecution’s final witnesses would not be testifying,
without specifying who.
Sources close to the tribunal say Plavsic was also due to testify at
the trial of former Bosnian Serb parliament speaker Momcilo Krajisnik.
Her testimony at this trial is also now in doubt, B92 was told.
Plavsic, 72, was sentenced at the tribunal in February 2003, after she
admitted playing a leading role in the campaign of persecution against
Bosnian Croats and Muslims during the 1992-95 war.
She is currently serving her sentence in Sweden.


=== 6 ===


Fonte: http://www.ansa.it/balcani/

MILOSEVIC: TPI, NUOVA SOSPENSIONE PROCESSO

(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 18 FEB - Nuova sospensione, sempre per ragioni di
salute, del processo in corso all'Aja contro Slobodan Milosevic: lo
ha annunciato stamane un portavoce del Tribunale penale
internazionale sulla ex Jugoslavia.
L'udienza di oggi e' stata sospesa, ha detto il portavoce, senza
precisare se il processo riprendera' domani. Milosevic, 62 anni, e'
accusato al Tpi di genocidio, crimini di guerra e contro l'umanita'
per i conflitti balcanici dei primi anni '90.
Il processo contro 'Slobo', iniziato nel febbraio di due anni fa, e'
stato interrotto piu' di una decina di occasioni a causa dello stato
di salute dell'imputato, e cioe' per influenze, spossatezza e
soprattutto problemi di pressione. (ANSA)
RIG 18/02/2004 09:39

MILOSEVIC: TPI; PROBLEMI SALUTE, SETTIMANA SENZA UDIENZE

(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 18 FEB - Nuova sospensione, sempre ''per ragioni
di salute'', del processo in corso all'Aja contro Slobodan Milosevic:
lo ha annunciato un portavoce del Tribunale penale internazionale
sulla ex Jugoslavia, sottolineando che anche l'udienza di domani e'
stata sospesa. ''Nessun'altra udienza e' prevista per questa
settimana'', ha detto il portavoce, ricordando che l'ex presidente
jugoslavo ''e' stato visitato da un dottore e che i giudici
riceveranno nella giornata di oggi un rapporto'' sulle condizioni di
salute di Milosevic, ''sulla base del quale decideranno - ha
precisato - quale sara' il prossimo passo'' del processo.
Milosevic, 62 anni, e' accusato al Tpi di genocidio, crimini di
guerra e contro l'umanita' per i conflitti balcanici dei primi anni
'90. Il processo contro 'Slobo', iniziato nel febbraio di due anni
fa, e' stato interrotto in piu' di una decina di occasioni a causa
dello stato di salute dell'imputato, e cioe' per influenze,
spossatezza e soprattutto problemi di pressione. (ANSA).
RIG 18/02/2004 16:16

---

http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/icty021804.htm

Press Advisory . Avis pour information
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)

The Hague, 18 February 2004
JM/P.I.S./PA164

MILOSEVIC TRIAL:
HEARING CANCELLED FOR THURSDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2004
NO FURTHER HEARINGS SCHEDULED FOR THIS WEEK

Please be advised that the hearing scheduled for tomorrow,
Thursday 19 February 2004, in the case The Prosecutor v.
Slobodan Milosevic has been cancelled due to the ill-health
of the accused and that no further hearings are scheduled
for this week. The Press Office will update the media as to
when the next hearing will take place in due course.

For further information please call: +31 (70) 512-5343 or 512-5356.

---

http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/icty022004.htm

Press Advisory . Avis pour information
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)

The Hague, 20 February 2004
JM/P.I.S./PA166

MILOSEVIC TRIAL:
HEARINGS TO CONCLUDE THE PROSECUTION CASE RE-SCHEDULED

Please be advised that the hearing in the case The Prosecutor
v. Slobodan Milosevic for Monday, 23 February 2004 has been
cancelled due to the ill-health of the accused.

The Trial Chamber will still sit on Tuesday, 24 February 2004
from 9am to 4.45pm as previously scheduled and on Wednesday,
25 February 2004 from 9am to 1.45pm.

For further information please call: +31 (70) 512-5343 or
512-5356.

---

http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/icty022304.htm

Press Advisory . Avis pour information
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)

The Hague, 23 February 2004
JM/P.I.S./PA167

MILOSEVIC TRIAL:
HEARINGS CANCELLED FOR TUESDAY 24 AND WEDNESDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2004

Please be advised that the hearings scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday 24
February and Wednesday 25 February 2004, in the case The
Prosecutor v. Slobodan Milosevic have been cancelled due to
the ill-health of the accused.

For further information please call: +31 (70) 512-5343 or
512-5356.

---

MILOSEVIC: TPI, ANNULLATE UDIENZE DOMANI E MERCOLEDI'

(ANSA) - L'AJA, 23 FEB - Le udienze del processo Milosevic previste
per domani e mercoledi' sono state cancellate per ragioni di salute
addotte dall'imputato. Ne da' notizia un comunicato del Tribunale
internazionale per i crimini commessi nella ex Jugoslavia. (ANSA).
OS
23/02/2004 14:47

http://www.ansa.it/balcani/serbiamontenegro/20040223144732852622.html


=== 7 ===


MILOSEVIC: TPI; NUOVO CONTRATTEMPO, LASCIA PRESIDENTE PROCESSO

(ANSA-AFP-REUTERS) - L'AJA, 22 FEB - Nuovo contrattempo nel processo
all'ex presidente Slobodan Milosevic al Tribunale penale
internazionale dell'Aja: Richard May, il giudice britannico che
presiede il processo, lascera' il suo incarico il 31 maggio prossimo
per motivi di salute. Lo ha comunicato il presidente del Tpi Theodor
Meron, in un comunicato.
Richard May, 65 anni, presiede il processo all'ex uomo forte di
Belgrado dal 12 febbraio 2002.
Il procuratore terminera' la presentazione dei capi di accusa tra
martedi' e mercoledi' prossimi. Le dimissioni di May non ritarderanno
questa fase del processo anche se il giudice britannico non sara'
presente alle audizioni a causa della sua malattia. Assisteranno al
dibattito i giudici giamaicano Patrick Robinson e sudcoreano O-Gon
Kwo.
Ma le dimissioni di May provocheranno una fermata del processo, gia'
catalogato come il piu' lungo nella storia della giustizia
internazionale. Secondo lo statuto del Tpi, in caso di dimissioni di
un giudice, il presidente puo' designare un altro magistrato per
sostituirlo, il quale giudice a sua volta avra' bisogno di tempo per
immergersi nel contesto.
Alcuni esperti ritengono che questo non sara' possibile nell'arco di
tre mesi , la pausa tra la fine della presentazione dei capi di
accusa e l'avvio della presentazione delle tesi della difesa.
Inoltre, Milosevic dovra' dare il suo consenso a un proseguimento del
processo in queste condizioni. Se rifiutera', i giudici potranno
decidere di passare sopra il suo rifiuto o, al contrario, decidere
per un nuovo processo.
Finora il processo e' stato interrotto piu' di una decina di volte
per la fragile salute di Milosevic, sofferente di problemi
cardio-circolatori. (ANSA-AFP-REUTERS)
LD 22/02/2004 20:15
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/fattidelgiorno/200402222015138986/
200402222015138986.html

---

Press Release . Communiqué de presse
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)

PRESIDENT
PRÉSIDENT

The Hague, 22 February 2004
MF/P.I.S./824e

STATEMENT OF JUDGE THEODOR MERON, PRESIDENT OF THE ICTY, UPON THE
RESIGNATION
OF JUDGE RICHARD GEORGE MAY

Judge Richard George May of the United Kingdom has informed me of his
resignation as a Judge of the International Tribunal, effective 31 May
2004, due to health reasons. Judge May’s letter of resignation states
that his recent illness will make it increasingly difficult for him to
continue the performance of his duties and that he believes, however
reluctantly, that his resignation is in the best interests of the
Tribunal.

I have transmitted Judge May’s letter of resignation to the
Secretary-General of the United Nations at Judge May’s request and
pursuant to Rule 16 of the Tribunal’s Rules of Procedure and Evidence.
I am confident that the Secretary-General will soon appoint a successor
Judge under Article 13 bis of the Statute of the Tribunal.

For more than six years, Judge May’s formidable intellect and
unwavering dedication have made him one of the Tribunal’s mainstays.
Since taking the oath of office in November 1997, Judge May has worked
tirelessly to carry out the Tribunal’s mandate to ensure that persons
accused of serious violations of international humanitarian law are
tried according to procedures that are fair, efficient, and sound.

The roster of Tribunal cases that have benefited from Judge May’s care
makes up a significant portion of the Tribunal’s entire docket. As a
member of Trial Chamber II, Judge May participated in the trial and
final judgement in the cases of Furundzija and Kupreskic. As Presiding
Judge of Trial Chamber III, a position he has held since November 1998,
he has presided over the trials in the cases of Kordic and Cerkez and,
most recently, Milosevic. He deliberated on numerous sentencing
judgements, including in the Celebici Camp case and the cases of
Sikirica, Plavsic, and Banovic. He has also taken part in hundreds of
Trial Chamber decisions on matters of procedure and served as Presiding
Judge of the Tribunal’s Appeals Chamber in the Aleksovski case.

Judge May has brought his practical wisdom and mastery of substantive
criminal law to bear on many unprecedented challenges. He has
shepherded the Milosevic case, one of historical importance and
daunting dimensions, through a major part of the trial with patience
and care and handled the unique issues presented by that case
creatively and effectively. Judge May’s extraordinary skill is evident
from the striking in all of his cases of an appropriate balance between
the rights of the accused and efficient trial management.

Judge May also served for five years as Chair of the Tribunal’s
Committee on the Rules of Procedure and Evidence. The work of that
Committee has been invaluable in developing procedures that are geared
to the special requirements of
international criminal prosecutions and that combine the disparate
approaches of common law and civil law systems. One of the Tribunal’s
major contributions to the evolution of international criminal law is
its elaboration of a procedural framework that allows the effective
conduct of trials while respecting the rights of the accused. Much of
the Tribunal’s ability to conduct credible and sophisticated
proceedings is due to Judge May’s skilled leadership of the Rules
Committee.

The Judges and staff of the Tribunal shall continue to work hard to
fulfill the historic mission of the Tribunal, even in Judge May’s
absence. I am confident that Judge May’s resignation will not have an
unduly disruptive effect on any proceedings before the Tribunal. The
conduct of the Milosevic trial remains
in the safe hands of Trial Chamber III.

A witness at the Tribunal once described Judge May as being "made of
reinforced platinum." The metaphor is quite apt. Like platinum, Judge
May is strong, noble, brilliant and, above all, of a very rare quality.
To me personally, Judge May is a close friend and a valued mentor. We
at the Tribunal have treasured
him as a colleague, and we look forward to his continued insights into
the work of the Tribunal as an enlightened outside observer. We are
very grateful to Judge May for his years of service and wish him a
swift and full recovery.


=== 8 ===


MILOSEVIC: TPI, PIENO DI INCOGNITE FUTURO PROCESSO / ANSA

(ANSA) - L'AJA, 23 FEB - (di Marisa Ostolani) - E' gia' stato
catalogato come il processo piu' lungo nella storia recente della
giustizia internazionale, ma a due anni dall'apertura, dopo 290
giorni di udienze, e ad un passo dalla chiusura del lavoro
dell'accusa, Slobodan Milosevic potrebbe chiedere di ricominciare
tutto da capo. L'incognita, pesante come un macigno, pesa da ieri
sul Tribunale internazionale dell'Aja per i crimini compiuti nella
ex Jugoslavia, dopo l'annuncio delle dimissioni di Richard May. Il
giudice britannico, 65 anni, che presiede la Corte, lascera'
l'incarico il 31 maggio prossimo per ragioni di salute. ''Se un
giudice e' malato noi possiamo aspettare che guarisca'', ha
dichiarato Zdenko Tomanovic, che guida il collegio legale di
Milosevic: ''Ma se un giudice deve lasciare - ha aggiunto -
l'imputato ha il diritto di chiedere che il procedimento ricominci da
capo''. La possibilita' che l'ex presidente Jugoslavo, 62 anni,
accusato dal Tribunale di genocidio, crimini di guerra e contro
l'umanita' per i conflitti nei Balcani degli anni '90, chieda un
nuovo processo e' giudicata ''improbabile'' negli ambienti del
Tribunale dall'Aja, ma resta un'opzione che aumenta le incertezze che
gravano sul procedimento. La conclusione del processo, prevista per
dopodomani, con la presentazione delle ultime prove contro Milosevic
da parte del procuratore generale Carla Del Ponte, e' intanto
slittata a data da destinarsi: l'imputato oggi ha chiesto, e
ottenuto, la cancellazione delle udienze di domani e mercoledi' per
ragioni di salute. Lo ha gia' fatto almeno una dozzina di volte a
causa dei problemi cardio-vascolari e di alta pressione che lo
affliggono. ''Non siamo sicuri su quando si potranno tenere le nuove
udienze, forse gia' entro questa settimana, forse la prossima'', ha
detto il portavoce del Tpi Jim Landel, precisando che ''la
cancellazione delle ultime sedute e le dimissioni del giudice May
sono pero' due cose separate''. Lo statuto della Corte prevede che
il segretario generale dell'Onu, Kofi Annan, designi un successore.
''Speriamo che le Nazioni Unite decidano nel tempo piu' breve
possibile'', ha sottolineato Landel. ''Nell'interesse della
giustizia, noi crediamo che il procedimento possa proseguire.
L'interruzione gia' prevista di tre mesi da' al Tribunale il respiro
necessario per consentire ad un nuovo giudice di insediarsi. C'e'
tutto il tempo necessario perche' possa familiarizzare con il
processo''. I tre mesi di pausa erano gia' previsti per consentire
a Milosevic di preparare la sua difesa. Slobo, che non ha mai
riconosciuto la Corte e si e' sempre dichiarato innocente, si
difendera' da solo dai 66 capi di imputazione. L'avvio della difesa
era previsto per il 19 maggio prossimo, mentre la chiusura del
processo nel 2006, quattro anni dopo la prima udienza, celebrata il
12 febbraio del 2002. Oltre che sul calendario, gravano incertezze
anche sulla possibilita' per il procuratore del Ponte di dimostrare
il piu' importante capo di imputazione contro Milosevic: quello di
genocidio dei 7000 musulmani bosniaci in Srebrenica, nel 1995.
Secondo l'Istituto per l'informazione sulla guerra e la pace, un
centro di studi britannico specializzato in conflitti nei Balcani e
in altre parti del mondo, Milosevic passera' il resto della sua vita
in prigione, ma sara' assolto dall'accusa di genocidio. Gli esperti
legali dell'Istituto che hanno seguito il caso ritengono che il
procuratore Del Ponte non abbia trovato le prove per giustificare una
sentenza di colpevolezza.(ANSA). OS 23/02/2004 18:41

http://www.ansa.it/balcani/serbiamontenegro/20040223184132853067.html