NOTA DEL CNJ:
sulle recenti vicende del "processo" si vedano anche i documenti e le
cronache -- talvolta di fonte ufficiale del "Tribunale", o di fonte
anti-jugoslava, o comunque di fonte ostile alle posizioni del Comitato
Internazionale per la Difesa di Slobodan Milosevic (ICDSM) --
visionabili ai seguenti
LINKS:
Power and Justice. Behind the Hunt for 'War Criminals'
(July 22, 2004 - by Nebojsa Malic)
http://www.antiwar.com/malic/?articleid=3121
Slobodan Milosevic makes his opening statement
(by Andy Wilcoxson)
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smorg083103.htm
Milosevic concludes his opening statement
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smorg090104.htm
Hague: Leading Russian Defense Official To Testify For Milosevic
http://en.rian.ru/rian/
index.cfm?prd_id=160&msg_id=4789248&startrow=11&date=2004-08-
31&do_alert=0
BKTV: Milosevic's Serbian lawyer says client to enter political defence
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/bktv090204.htm
Letter to IHT: Milosevic on trial
http://www.iht.com/articles/537209.htm
Order of the ICTY laying out the powers of the imposed defence lawyers
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/icty090304.htm
TARGETS: Graham Blewitt: Washington controls, and NATO pays for the ICTY
(by Nico Varkevisser)
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/targets090304.htm
Official reasons of the forced appointment of a lawyer
http://www.un.org/icty/milosevic/trialc/decision-e/040922.htm
Hague tribunal stops Milosevic defending himself
(by Paul Mitchell)
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/sep2004/milo-s08_prn.shtml
The so-called "defense" calls its first witness
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/smorg090704.htm
Avramov concludes- Jatras exposes Clinton's links to Bosnian terrorism
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smorg090804.htm
Tribunal discredited as witness boycott derails "Trial"
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smorg091504.htm
Hague: Key Russia General Among Scores Refusing To Testify
http://en.rian.ru/rian/
index.cfm?prd_id=160&msg_id=4861120&startrow=11&date=2004-09-
16&do_alert=0
No Witness, No Trial
(by Andy Wilcoxson)
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smorg091304.htm
IWPR'S TRIBUNAL UPDATE No. 373, September 17, 2004
MILOSEVIC TRIAL GRINDS TO A HALT Further four-week delay scheduled
after defence witnesses "spontaneously" refuse to appear in The Hague.
By Ana Uzelac in The Hague
Roland Keith testifies as the "Trial" comes screeching to a halt
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smorg091404.htm
BBC: Serbian PM snubs Hague tribunal (by Matt Prodger)
http://www.balkanpeace.org/hed/archive/sep04/hed6704.shtml
Vecernji list: Madeline Albright exercises her control over the Hague
Tribunal
(by Jasna Babic)
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/vl091904.htm
ANSA: ICTY: Former French intelligence chief to defend Milosevic
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/ansa091804.htm
Mr Kay's options: Win the appeal or resign
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smorg092104.htm
A war crimes trial in crisis
http://www.cleveland.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/opinion/
1095759007318140.xml
The Times (UK): He's my client, and I'll do my best for him
(by Frances Gibb)
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/times092104.htm
Pressure Builds on Belgrade for Full Co-operation With ICTY
(by Dusan Kosanovic)
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/
features/2004/09/30/feature-02?print=yes
MILOSEVIC LAWYER DECISION EXPLAINED Judges say latest intervention was
intended to ensure the defendant gets a fair trial. By Ana Uzelac in
The Hague - IWPR'S TRIBUNAL UPDATE No. 374, September 24, 2004
MILOSEVIC COUNSEL EXPLAINS APPOINTMENT APPEAL
Lawyer sets out arguments against imposing counsel on defendant. By
Mike Farquhar in London - IWPR'S TRIBUNAL UPDATE No. 375, 01 October,
2004
http://www.iwpr.net
US: Serbia-Montenegro Must Fully Co-operate With the ICTY
(by Igor Jovanovic)
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/
features/2004/10/01/feature-01?print=yes
Defence witnesses at Milosevic trial refuse to testify
(by Paul Mitchell)
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/oct2004/milo-o06_prn.shtml
ICTY Co-operation Remains Main Obstacle on Belgrade's Road to EU
Integration
(by Igor Jovanovic)
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/
features/2004/10/08/feature-02?print=yes
Witness Boycott Forces Trial to be Stopped Again
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smorg101304.htm
Complaints Filed Against Steven Kay and Dr. Van Dijkman
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smfc101304.htm
MILOSEVIC RENEWS UNFAIR TRIAL CLAIMS Defendant claims he’s being
offered scraps of his rights as his trial reconvenes. By Ana Uzelac in
The Hague IWPR’S TRIBUNAL UPDATE No. 377, October 15, 2004
http://www.iwpr.net
The Hague Among the Serbs
(by Dragan Stanimirovic)
http://www.tol.cz/look/TOL/
article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrIssue=86&NrSection=3&NrArticl
e=12984
==========================
Da: ICDSM Italia
Data: Mer 20 Ott 2004 14:19:11 Europe/Rome
A: icdsm-italia@ yahoogroups.com
Cc: aa-info@ yahoogroups.com
Oggetto: [icdsm-italia] L'Aia: intimidazioni contro i testimoni a
difesa di Milosevic
(english / italiano)
L'Aia: intimidazioni contro i testimoni a difesa di Milosevic
1. TESTIMONI SARANNO CHIAMATI A COMPARIRE /PRESSING GIUDICI / MANCANO
TESTI A DIFESA, PROCESSO RINVIATO (ANSA)
2. L'intera verità a L'Aia / The whole truth at The Hague (Pravda.RU)
3. Vice-Chairman of Czech Parliament joins the Lawyers' Appeal on
Milosevic's rights (ICDSM / Sloboda)
4. Reactions to the press (Ian Johnson / John Laughland)
5. 'No link to genocide found' (C. Stephen / The Observer)
=== 1 ===
MILOSEVIC:TPI,TESTIMONI SARANNO CHIAMATI A COMPARIRE IN AULA
(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 18 OTT - I giudici del Tribunale penale
internazionale sull'ex Jugoslavia dell'Aja hanno assicurato oggi che
non esiteranno a emettere delle citazioni a comparire ai testimoni del
processo in corso contro Slobodan Milosevic. ''E' chiaro che questa
decisione rappresenta l'ultima risorsa, ma se tutte le altre iniziative
rimangono chiuse, allora la Camera emettera' le richieste di
comparizione'', ha dichiarato il giudice Patrick Robinson, precisando
che quello delle testimonianze in aula e' un capitolo fondamentale del
procedimento giudiziario contro l'ex presidente jugoslavo iniziato nel
febbraio del 2002. Nei giorni scorsi, numerosi testimoni chiamati per
la difesa dell'imputato si sono rifiutati di presentarsi alla Corte
dell' Aja dopo la nomina da parte dei giudici del Tpi di due difensori
d'ufficio per Slobo, misura da sempre rifiutata dallo stesso Milosevic.
Il rifiuto a testimoniare e' dovuto insomma proprio al diniego da parte
dei giudici di concedere a Milosevic di difendersi da solo. Alla Corte
dell'Aja e' accusato di genocidio e crimini di guerra e contro
l'umanita' commessi durante i conflitti che hanno insanguinato la ex
Jugoslavia negli anni novanta. (ANSA) RIG
18/10/2004 12:09
MILOSEVIC: PRESSING GIUDICI TPI PER ASCOLTARE TESTIMONI/ANSA
(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 18 OTT - Scossone al Tribunale penale
internazionale sulla ex Jugoslavia, che dal febbraio del 2002 sta
processando Slobodan Milosevic: i giudici della Corte dell'Aja hanno
oggi fatto sapere di essere pronti a chiamare i testimoni che si
rifiutano di presentarsi in aula perche' sostengono l'imputato nella
sua volonta' di difendersi da solo. ''E' chiaro che questa decisione
rappresenta l'ultima ratio, ma se non ci saranno altre soluzioni,
allora la Camera emettera' le richieste di comparizione'', ha
dichiarato il giudice Patrick Robinson, precisando che quello delle
testimonianze in aula e' un capitolo fondamentale del procedimento
giudiziario contro l'ex presidente jugoslavo. Nei giorni scorsi,
numerosi testimoni chiamati per la difesa dell'imputato si sono
rifiutati di presentarsi alla Corte dell' Aja dopo la nomina da parte
dei giudici del Tpi di due difensori d'ufficio per Slobo - i britannici
Steve Kay e Gillian Higgins-, decisione respinta con forza dallo stesso
Milosevic. La posizione dei testimoni e' dovuta insomma proprio al
diniego da parte dei giudici all'autodifesa da parte di Milosevic, che
e' accusato di genocidio e crimini di guerra e contro l'umanita' per
delitti commessi durante i conflitti che hanno insanguinato la ex
Jugoslavia negli anni novanta. INTIMAZIONE A DEPORRE. Ma nei prossimi
giorni tutto potrebbe cambiare, proprio a causa dell'annuncio reso noto
oggi da Robinson, che potrebbe intimare ai recalcitranti testimoni di
deporre. Gli sforzi dei due avvocati d'ufficio per portare i testimoni
all'Aja non hanno per ora dato grandi risultati, e la situazione e'
anzi cosi' difficile che tali tentativi sono stati definiti
dall'avvocato Kay come una sorta di lunga e stancante ''danza dei sette
veli''. Alcuni testimoni hanno detto di non volersi recare alla Corte
proprio perche' ritengono ingiusto che a Slobo siano stati 'imposti' i
legali d'ufficio, altri hanno piu' semplicemente dichiarato che sono in
attesa dei propri governi - o posti di lavoro - per poter rispondere
alla richiesta dall'Aja. Kay ha per esempio ricordato di aver ricevuto
una lettera da Belgrado, nella quale le autorita' serbe hanno chiesto
all'Aja piu' informazioni prima de concedere il proprio ''via libera''
alla presenza alla Corte di un testimone, decisione per la quale - ha
puntualizzato l'avvocato - ci potrebbero volere mesi. Il problema dello
scontro tra Slobo e i giudici sulla nomina d'ufficio dei due difensori
potrebbe pero' chiarirsi giovedi' prossimo, quando la camera d'appello
della Corte si pronuncera' sul ricorso contro tale decisione presentato
dall'ex uomo forte di Belgrado. La nomina di Steven Kay e Gillian
Higgins e' stata decisa dalla presidenza del Tpi piu' di un mese fa per
imprimere maggior ritmo al processo, anche di fronte alla sospensione
di numerose udienze a causa dello stato di salute di Milosevic, che ha
63 anni ed e' da tempo affetto da ipertensione e stress: condizioni che
secondo i giudici non gli permettono di affrontare una mole di lavoro
tale quale quella richiesta dalla difesa, come egli invece vorrebbe.
(ANSA) RIG
18/10/2004 18:24
MILOSEVIC: TPI; MANCANO TESTI A DIFESA, PROCESSO RINVIATO
(ANSA) - L'AJA, 19 OTT - Processo rinviato per Slobodan Milosevic a
martedi' della prossima settimana per mancanza di testimoni a difesa.
Lo ha annunciato oggi il presidente del Tribunale penale internazionale
(Tpi) per la ex Jugoslavia Patrick Robinson dopo che Steven Kay, uno
dei difensori d'ufficio, aveva informato che per questa settimana non
erano disponibili altri testi a difesa. Ieri il tribunale aveva
annunciato che sarebbe ricorso anche alla citazione per obbligare i
testimoni a comparire dopo che la maggior parte delle persone indicate
da Slobo hanno annunciato che non deporranno fino a quando all'imputato
non sara' consentito di difendersi da solo. La decisione di designare
due avvocati d'ufficio incaricati di condurre gli interrogatori dei
testimoni e' stata presa dal tribunale per evitare che, a causa delle
continue richieste di rinvio per motivi di salute fatte da Slobo, il
processo subisse ulteriori rinvii o finisse per insabbiarsi
definitivamente. Contro tale decisione Milosevic e' ricorso in appello,
ha evitato qualsiasi collaborazione con i legali e si e' rifiutato di
interrogare i testimoni dopo i difensori. In piu' occasioni l'imputato
ha inoltre denunciato di ritenere questa procedura una violazione dei
suoi diritti. Il procedimento contro l'ex presidente jugoslavo e'
cominciato il 12 febbraio del 2002 e dovrebbe concludersi entro la fine
del prossimo anno. Slobo e' accusato di genocidio, crimini di guerra e
contro l'umanita' per un totale di oltre 60 imputazioni per i fatti
avvenuti negli anni '90 nelle guerre che hanno insanguinato alcune
regioni dei Balcani. (ANSA). VS 19/10/2004 19:20
=== 2 ===
http://english.pravda.ru/mailbox/22/101/399/14445_Milosevic.html
http://english.pravda.ru/printed.html?news_id=14445
---
L'intera verità a L'Aia
14/10/2004 18:53
Malgrado i tentativi di fare tacere Slobodan Milosevic, il suo processo
si sta dimostrando una interessante fonte di informazioni su che cosa è
realmente accaduto nei Balcani.
A Slobodan Milosevic, l'ex-Presidente della Iugoslavia, è stato negato
inesplicabilmente il diritto di continuare a difendersi da solo e,
invece, gli è stato assegnato un avvocato di nome Steven Kay, che
conduce la "difesa" senza alcuna informazione dal gruppo di Milosevic.
Dei 97 testimoni con cui si è messo in contatto, 92 si sono
immediatamente rifiutati di testimoniare a meno che a Slobodan
Milosevic non sia dato il diritto di difendersi da solo, secondo Zdenko
Tomanovic, consigliere legale principale del sig. Milosevic. Tuttavia,
un testimone che ha acconsentito a testimoniare ha lasciato la NATO e i
relativi padroni a Washington a contorcersi nell'imbarazzo.
Un giornalista tedesco, l'ex-maggiore dell'Esercito Franz Josef Hutsch
era in Kosovo tra settembre del 1998 e dicembre del 1999. Egli
descrive se stesso come "reporter inserito nel KLA" (KLA - Kosovo
Liberation Army, esercito di liberazione del Kosovo, altrimenti noto
come UCK - Ushtria Clirimtare e Kosoves).
Franz Josef Hutsch dichiara che il clima che ha trovato nella provincia
era "teso ma non violento" ma che la violenza è stata causata dall'UCK,
non dai Serbi. L'UCK, sostiene, usava la tattica del colpisci-e-scappa
contro le pattuglie dei Serbi e tendeva a provocare "reazioni in
eccesso" dalle autorità, spesso inscenando rappresentazioni,
assicurandosi che i civili
fossero nel posto sbagliato al momento sbagliato, solitamente appena
prima che arrivassero i giornalisti.
Inoltre sostiene che gli albanesi cercavano di ingannare i Serbi per
farli sparare sui civili, i quali furono usati ed abusati per
soddisfare gli obiettivi dell'UCK, obbligati a resistere a condizioni
atmosferiche dure, in modo che sarebbero apparsi rabbrividiti e miseri
avanti alle macchine fotografiche, o da disporli nelle zone di
combattimento per aumentare i danni collaterali.
Gli albanesi avrebbero fatto i loro soldi con il traffico di droghe e
della prostituzione - le droghe e le donne, spesso le ragazze albanesi
più graziose strappate dalle loro famiglie, sarebbero state scambiate
con pistole alla frontiera.
Per quanto riguarda gli ufficiali, Hutsch dichiara che fra 80 e 100
ufficiali arabi hanno lavorato con il KLA (UCK - n.d.t.) e che ogni
unità è stata comandata da uno di questi Mujaheddin, che furono pagati
con "somme enormi" dalla ditta MPRI, che aveva addestrato questi
elementi in basi in Turchia.
La nazionalità della ditta MPRI? Gli Stati Uniti d'America.
Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey
Pravda - Mosca
(trad. di F. Rossi / G.A.MA.DI.)
---
The whole truth at The Hague
PRAVDA - 10/14/2004 18:53
Despite the attempts to silence Slobodan Milosevic, his trial is
proving an interesting source of information about what really happened
in the Balkans.
Slobodan Milosevic, the ex-President of Yugoslavia, has inexplicably
been denied the right to continue defending himself and instead, has
been allocated a lawyer named Steven Kay, who conducts the "defence"
without any information from the Milosevic team.
Of the 97 witnesses he contacted, 92 flatly refused to testify unless
Slobodan Milosevic be given back the right to defend himself, according
to Zdenko Tomanovic, Mr. Milosevic's chief legal advisor.
However, one witness who agreed to testify has left NATO and its
masters in Washington squirming in embarrassment.
German journalist, ex-Army Major Franz Josef Hutsch was in Kosovo
between September 1998 and December 1999. He describes himself as an
"embedded reporter in the KLA" (Kosovo Liberation Army, otherwise knows
as Ushtria Clirimtare e Kosoves, UCK).
Franz Josef Hutsch states that the climate he found in the province was
"tense but not violent" but that the violence was caused by the UCK,
not the Serbs. The UCK, he claims, used hit-and-run tactics against
Serb patrols and tried to provoke "excessive reaction" from the
authorities, often staging events, making sure that civilians were in
the wrong place at the wrong time, usually just before the journalists
arrived.
He also claims that the Albanians tried to trick the Serbs into firing
on civilians, which were used and abused to suit the aims of the UCK,
being forced to endure harsh weather conditions so that they would be
shivering and miserable before the cameras, or to be placed in combat
areas to increase collateral damage.
The Albanians would make their money through the trafficking of drugs
and prostitution - the drugs and women, often the prettier Albanian
girls snatched from their families, would be swapped for guns on the
frontier.
As for the officers, Hutsch states that between 80 and 100 Arabic
officers worked with the KLA and that each unit was commanded by one of
these Mujaheddin, who were paid "huge sums" of money by the firm MPRI,
which trained these elements in bases in Turkey.
The nationality of the firm MPRI? The United States of America.
=== 3 ===
*************************************************************
INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE TO DEFEND SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC
ICDSM Sofia-New York-Moscow www.icdsm.org
*************************************************************
I C D S M w e b s i t e u p d a t e
18 October 2004
================================================
JUDr Vojtech Filip, Vice-Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies of the
Parliament of the Czech Republic just joined the Lawyers' Appeal to UN
against the imposition of counsel on President Slobodan Milosevic.
The Appeal now has 100 signatures of jurists, lawyers and law
professors from 18 countries. The text of the Appeal, together with the
list of signatures, can be read at
http://www.icdsm.org/Lawappeal.htm
If you are a member of legal community, please join it by sending your
consent to slobodavk@ yubc.net
================================================
The latest update of www.icdsm.org brings you the most comprehensive
review of reactions on the attack on international law and human rights
by the Albright/Kinkel/Soros creation known as "The International
Criminal Tribunal
for the former Yugoslavia". http://www.icdsm.org/Hijack.htm
You can read statements, interviews and articles by Aldo Bernardini,
James Bissett, Christopher Black, Ramsey Clark, Tiphaine Dickson,
Pierre-Marie Gallois, Klaus Hartmann, Gabriel Kaspereit, George Kenney,
Hans Koechler, John Laughland, Evangelos Mahairas, Thanasis Pafilis,
Michael Parenti, Yevgeny Primakov, Nikolai Ryzhkov, Branislav
Tapuskovic and many others.
You can also read the letter of ICDSM to the UN Security Council and
the letter of Sloboda/Freedom Association to the Bar Council of England
and Wales.
This is the most crucial moment in this struggle. The ICTY as a tool of
aggression is loosing its judicial mask. President Milosevic is already
a moral winner. But the issue is to stop the crime in progress and turn
his moral victory into triumph of truth and law.
www.icdsm.org provides you with arguments and reasons for concrete
solidarity with the struggle for freedom of Slobodan Milosevic and
Serbian people.
================================================
=== 4 ===
------ Forwarded Message
From: "Ian Johnson"
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 02:17:10 +0100
THE REAL SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC – BBC RADIO FIVE 8p.m. 10th OCT. 2004
The misnamed BBC programme, The Real Slobodan Milosevic, (or should
that be ‘the Zarko Korac show?) was broadcast to coincide with the
opening of the defence case at the Hague tribunal. Surprisingly then,
that during its 60 minutes running time, the programme failed to
mention the fact that Mr Milosevic has actually been denied the
fundamental legal right to defend himself. An ‘oversight’ that was
sadly predictable given the history of BBC reporting on Yugoslavia.
Entirely appropriately the presenter of this latest BBC propaganda
piece was television chat show host and comedian Clive Anderson.
(Presumably chosen because at some point in the past he practised in
the legal profession).
The programme relied heavily on contributions from the usual suspects
such as the already discredited ‘journalist’ Samantha Power, former
British Foreign secretary’s Robin Cook and Douglas Hurd and Jim O’Brien
from the Clinton administration, all united by a single thread - their
opposition to an independent Yugoslavia.
No members of the Milosevic camp appeared.
However the programme relied to a disproportionate extent on
contributions from Mr Zarko Korac.
Prior to his term as Serbian deputy prime minister, Mr Korac had been
appearing for over a decade on Western television described as ‘an
expert on Yugoslav psychology’ and he is very much America’s man.
It was Mr Korac who put about the story, printed in the New York Times
2nd April 2001, that prior to being taken into detention Mr Milosevic
was ‘suicidal’ and had ‘threatened to kill himself and his wife and
daughter’. (Presumably not in that order though!) The story was untrue
of course, as later verified by people who were actually present when
Mr Milosevic was taken, such as Banislav Ivkovic, "In fact, Mr
Milosevic was quite calm, which is amazing given the threat to himself,
his family and his supporters. Why is Mr. Korac, who was not present,
telling these lies about Mr. Milosevic’s actions?"
Therefore perhaps it is no surprise to learn that Zarko Korac is still
in the business of representing America’s interests above those of his
country.
Interestingly a brief contribution from Dr Cees Wiebes, a professor at
Amsterdam University, went against the main thrust of the programme by
revealing that there is no evidence linking Milosevic to the Srebrenica
charge. Wiebes headed a team of intelligence specialists commissioned
by the Dutch government to look into Srebrenica because its own forces
were present in the town under the UN flag. Wiebes also stated his team
offered their evidence to the Hague tribunal chief prosecutor Carla del
Ponte, but were brushed off. 'What I heard from good sources
in The Hague is that Miss del Ponte thinks that we're too nuanced and
not seeing things in black and white,' he said.
The programme soon attempted to drown this brief glimpse into reality
by trying to paint a picture of Slobodan Milosevic as cynical, power
hungry, corrupt, paranoid, a dictator and ultimately a weak man (they
forgot to mention he eats babies as well). And this was being presented
as objective reporting?
According to the programme it was Yugoslavia alone that tore itself
apart, thus conveniently ignoring the well documented evidence of
unprecedented outside interference in the affairs of the FRY by the
Western powers. (For example funding to opposition forces was
channelled though the US government agency, the National Endowment for
Democracy (NED). Founded in 1983, the NED took over functions that were
once the responsibility of the CIA. Unlike the CIA however the NED
receives open congressional appropriations, as opposed to the
previously covert funding, and thus their activities are openly
documented. For instance NED programme operator Paul McCarthy revealed
in his testimony to the Commission on Security and Cooperation in
Europe that the NED, in 1998, was responsible in Yugoslavia for the
newspapers Nasa Borba, Vreme and Danas, the TV station Negotin, the
news agency BETA and the Belgrade station Radio B-92.
Significantly, in August 1999, the NED increased their funding to the
Serbian ‘youth’ organisation Otpor, essentially recruiting the most
reactionary layers from the ranks of the unemployed. The fruits of this
strategy are outlined in the NED’s own literature. " Otpor’s activists
played a crucial role in the street demonstrations that followed the
elections and led to Milosevic’s ultimate downfall on October 5th." And
further: "Otpor’s first major campaign was a nation-wide effort to
pressure the regime to arrest Slododan Milosevic." That Otpor were
following a strategy laid down by Washington was emphasised when
Richard Holbrooke admitted to the New York Times of 8th April 2001,
"The arrest of Mr Milosevic resulted from American pressure."
It is worth noting that included among the directors on the board of
the National Endowment for Democracy are Wesley Clark – former Supreme
Commander of Nato, Richard Holbrooke – former Assistant Secretary of
State and Francis Fukuyama – author of the anti-communist diatribe,
‘The End of History.’ ).
For any programme to therefore state that ‘’Yugoslavia tore itself
apart’ reveals more about that programme’s intentions than it does
about what actually happened in the Balkans.
Former British foreign secretary Douglas Hurd contributed to this
fictional presentation by adding that if only Milosevic had accepted
‘liberalisation’ Yugoslavia could today be like Poland.
For the record it is worth noting that a recent article by James
Petras, (http://globalresearch.ca/articles/PET406B%c2%a0%c2%a0), outlined the
results of this road as seen in other countries over the last fifteen
years. His findings on Poland:
‘In Poland, the former Gdansk Shipyard, point of origin of the
Solidarity Trade Union, is closed and now a museum piece. Over 20% of
the labor force is officially unemployed (Financial Times, Feb. 21/22,
2004) and has been for the better part of the decade. Another 30% is
"employed" in marginal, low paid jobs (prostitution, contraband, drugs,
flea markets, street venders and the underground economy).'
As expected the programme concluded that Mr Milosevic will rightly be
found guilty of ‘most of the charges’ he is facing at the Hague.
Listeners hoping for an insight into the creation and legal status of
the Hague ‘tribunal’ or the notorious anti-Serb Rambouillet ‘peace
treaty’ or the real ethnic cleansing of Serbs by Croatian forces under
United States command in the Krajina region would be disappointed,
these issues were not addressed.
Indeed what could you expect from a BBC documentary on Slobodan
Milosevic and Yugoslavia…..the truth? Hardly.
Ian Johnson
October 2004
---
Milosevic case collusion
The Times (London) - October 5, 2004, Tuesday
From John Laughland.
Sir, I was disappointed in your interview with Stephen Kay (Law,
September 21), that you seemed to approve, at least nem con, the
decision of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia to impose counsel on Slobodan Milosevic. The judges of the
trial chamber have ruled repeatedly against the prosecution's request
for counsel to be imposed, and their ruling of April 4 last year gives
20 pages of legal reasoning and precedent to justify their decision.
When on September 2 the ICTY went against all its earlier rulings and
decided to impose counsel on Mr Milosevic, it did not quote one single
legal convention or precedent in support of its new position. The
decision, justified only in the name of expediency, is therefore as
pure an example of a lawless and arbitrary decision as one can imagine.
The decision confirms that the judges are actively colluding in
achieving the outcome for which this political tribunal was set up in
the first place -a conviction of Slobodan Milosevic at all costs.
Yours faithfully, JOHN LAUGHLAND, British Helsinki Human Rights Group,
81 Hammersmith Grove, London W6 0NE.
SECTION: Features; Law; 10
Copyright 2004 Times Newspapers Limited
=== 5 ===
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/
0,6903,1323864,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/yugo/article/0,2763,1324024,00.html
[Pardon the other Serbophobe misrepresentations in
what follows; what's to be expected from The
Observer/Guardian.
Interesting, though, that such cliches are revived at
the very moment that the Bosnian butcher Naser Oric is
being examined for his role in mass murder and
ethnocide against Serbs and other populations in the
early 1990s. Rick R.]
The Observer -- October 10, 2004
Milosevic: 'no link to genocide found'
Chris Stephen
Fresh controversy has hit the war crimes trial of
Slobodan Milosevic with a claim from a senior
intelligence analyst that the Yugoslav leader is
innocent of genocide.
Dr Cees Wiebes, a professor at Amsterdam University,
now says there is no evidence linking Milosevic to the
worst atrocity of the Bosnian war, the massacre of
7,000 Muslims at the town of Srebrenica.
Srebrenica, which was overrun by Serb forces in July
1995, forms the basis of the genocide charge against
Milosevic, but Wiebes, a member of a Dutch government
inquiry into the atrocity, said there is nothing to
link Milosevic to the crime.
'In our report, which is about 7,000 pages long, we
come to the conclusion that Milosevic had no
foreknowledge of the subsequent massacres,' he says in
a radio programme, The Real Slobodan Milosevic, to be
broadcast by BBC Five Live tonight. 'What we did find,
however, was evidence to the contrary. Milosevic was
very upset when he learnt about the massacres.'
The prospect of the former Balkan strongman being
cleared of the most serious charge he faces is a fresh
blow to an already troubled case, which begins hearing
defence evidence this week after several months of
delays.
Any failure to prove genocide will cast a shadow not
only over this case but over the whole practicality of
holding tyrants to account in war crimes trials, most
obviously in the case against Saddam Hussein.
Wiebes headed a team of intelligence specialists
commissioned by the Dutch government to look into the
massacre because its own forces were present in the
town under the UN flag.
He had access to secret files, key diplomats and
hundreds of witnesses to a massacre in which Muslim
men and boys as young as 12 were butchered by Bosnian
Serb forces. But while clearly implicating senior Serb
field commanders, including General Ratko Mladic, the
former Bosnian army chief still on the run, Wiebes
says Milosevic played no part.
He said it was understandable that Milosevic was upset
'because in this phase of the war he was looking for a
political settlement and this was not very good for
him'.
Wiebes also says his team offered their evidence to
the Hague tribunal chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte,
but were brushed off. 'What I heard from good sources
in The Hague is that Miss del Ponte thinks that we're
too nuanced and not seeing things in black and white,'
he said.
Hague prosecutors insist this is not so, saying that
the report was not relevant. Prosecution spokeswoman
Florence Hartmann said: 'The purpose of the report was
not to deal with criminal cases relating to
Srebrenica, and was commissioned... for other
purposes.'
Wiebes is the first senior figure to say publicly what
many Hague sources have been saying privately for some
time - that there is simply no evidence to back the
genocide charge.
Prosecutors have spent months trying to prove
otherwise, but have drawn a series of blanks, despite
the appearance of high-profile witnesses. These have
included former Nato commander Wesley Clark, whose
evidence in The Hague last December was that Milosevic
told him he knew about the crime and tried to stop it.
Milosevic undoubtedly facilitated the killing by
providing Bosnian Serb forces with guns, fuel and
cash. But for a genocide conviction to stick,
prosecutors must prove that he gave the order.
· Chris Stephen is the author of 'Judgement Day: The
Trial of Slobodan Milosevic', published by Atlantic
Books
==========================
ICDSM - Sezione Italiana
c/o GAMADI, Via L. Da Vinci 27
00043 Ciampino (Roma)
tel/fax +39-06-4828957
email: icdsm-italia @ libero.it
Conto Corrente Postale numero 86557006
intestato ad Adolfo Amoroso, ROMA
causale: DIFESA MILOSEVIC
sito internet:
http://www.pasti.org/linkmilo.htm
==========================
sulle recenti vicende del "processo" si vedano anche i documenti e le
cronache -- talvolta di fonte ufficiale del "Tribunale", o di fonte
anti-jugoslava, o comunque di fonte ostile alle posizioni del Comitato
Internazionale per la Difesa di Slobodan Milosevic (ICDSM) --
visionabili ai seguenti
LINKS:
Power and Justice. Behind the Hunt for 'War Criminals'
(July 22, 2004 - by Nebojsa Malic)
http://www.antiwar.com/malic/?articleid=3121
Slobodan Milosevic makes his opening statement
(by Andy Wilcoxson)
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smorg083103.htm
Milosevic concludes his opening statement
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smorg090104.htm
Hague: Leading Russian Defense Official To Testify For Milosevic
http://en.rian.ru/rian/
index.cfm?prd_id=160&msg_id=4789248&startrow=11&date=2004-08-
31&do_alert=0
BKTV: Milosevic's Serbian lawyer says client to enter political defence
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/bktv090204.htm
Letter to IHT: Milosevic on trial
http://www.iht.com/articles/537209.htm
Order of the ICTY laying out the powers of the imposed defence lawyers
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/icty090304.htm
TARGETS: Graham Blewitt: Washington controls, and NATO pays for the ICTY
(by Nico Varkevisser)
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/targets090304.htm
Official reasons of the forced appointment of a lawyer
http://www.un.org/icty/milosevic/trialc/decision-e/040922.htm
Hague tribunal stops Milosevic defending himself
(by Paul Mitchell)
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/sep2004/milo-s08_prn.shtml
The so-called "defense" calls its first witness
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/smorg090704.htm
Avramov concludes- Jatras exposes Clinton's links to Bosnian terrorism
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smorg090804.htm
Tribunal discredited as witness boycott derails "Trial"
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smorg091504.htm
Hague: Key Russia General Among Scores Refusing To Testify
http://en.rian.ru/rian/
index.cfm?prd_id=160&msg_id=4861120&startrow=11&date=2004-09-
16&do_alert=0
No Witness, No Trial
(by Andy Wilcoxson)
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smorg091304.htm
IWPR'S TRIBUNAL UPDATE No. 373, September 17, 2004
MILOSEVIC TRIAL GRINDS TO A HALT Further four-week delay scheduled
after defence witnesses "spontaneously" refuse to appear in The Hague.
By Ana Uzelac in The Hague
Roland Keith testifies as the "Trial" comes screeching to a halt
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smorg091404.htm
BBC: Serbian PM snubs Hague tribunal (by Matt Prodger)
http://www.balkanpeace.org/hed/archive/sep04/hed6704.shtml
Vecernji list: Madeline Albright exercises her control over the Hague
Tribunal
(by Jasna Babic)
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/vl091904.htm
ANSA: ICTY: Former French intelligence chief to defend Milosevic
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/ansa091804.htm
Mr Kay's options: Win the appeal or resign
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smorg092104.htm
A war crimes trial in crisis
http://www.cleveland.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/opinion/
1095759007318140.xml
The Times (UK): He's my client, and I'll do my best for him
(by Frances Gibb)
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/times092104.htm
Pressure Builds on Belgrade for Full Co-operation With ICTY
(by Dusan Kosanovic)
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/
features/2004/09/30/feature-02?print=yes
MILOSEVIC LAWYER DECISION EXPLAINED Judges say latest intervention was
intended to ensure the defendant gets a fair trial. By Ana Uzelac in
The Hague - IWPR'S TRIBUNAL UPDATE No. 374, September 24, 2004
MILOSEVIC COUNSEL EXPLAINS APPOINTMENT APPEAL
Lawyer sets out arguments against imposing counsel on defendant. By
Mike Farquhar in London - IWPR'S TRIBUNAL UPDATE No. 375, 01 October,
2004
http://www.iwpr.net
US: Serbia-Montenegro Must Fully Co-operate With the ICTY
(by Igor Jovanovic)
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/
features/2004/10/01/feature-01?print=yes
Defence witnesses at Milosevic trial refuse to testify
(by Paul Mitchell)
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/oct2004/milo-o06_prn.shtml
ICTY Co-operation Remains Main Obstacle on Belgrade's Road to EU
Integration
(by Igor Jovanovic)
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/
features/2004/10/08/feature-02?print=yes
Witness Boycott Forces Trial to be Stopped Again
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smorg101304.htm
Complaints Filed Against Steven Kay and Dr. Van Dijkman
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smfc101304.htm
MILOSEVIC RENEWS UNFAIR TRIAL CLAIMS Defendant claims he’s being
offered scraps of his rights as his trial reconvenes. By Ana Uzelac in
The Hague IWPR’S TRIBUNAL UPDATE No. 377, October 15, 2004
http://www.iwpr.net
The Hague Among the Serbs
(by Dragan Stanimirovic)
http://www.tol.cz/look/TOL/
article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrIssue=86&NrSection=3&NrArticl
e=12984
==========================
Da: ICDSM Italia
Data: Mer 20 Ott 2004 14:19:11 Europe/Rome
A: icdsm-italia@ yahoogroups.com
Cc: aa-info@ yahoogroups.com
Oggetto: [icdsm-italia] L'Aia: intimidazioni contro i testimoni a
difesa di Milosevic
(english / italiano)
L'Aia: intimidazioni contro i testimoni a difesa di Milosevic
1. TESTIMONI SARANNO CHIAMATI A COMPARIRE /PRESSING GIUDICI / MANCANO
TESTI A DIFESA, PROCESSO RINVIATO (ANSA)
2. L'intera verità a L'Aia / The whole truth at The Hague (Pravda.RU)
3. Vice-Chairman of Czech Parliament joins the Lawyers' Appeal on
Milosevic's rights (ICDSM / Sloboda)
4. Reactions to the press (Ian Johnson / John Laughland)
5. 'No link to genocide found' (C. Stephen / The Observer)
=== 1 ===
MILOSEVIC:TPI,TESTIMONI SARANNO CHIAMATI A COMPARIRE IN AULA
(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 18 OTT - I giudici del Tribunale penale
internazionale sull'ex Jugoslavia dell'Aja hanno assicurato oggi che
non esiteranno a emettere delle citazioni a comparire ai testimoni del
processo in corso contro Slobodan Milosevic. ''E' chiaro che questa
decisione rappresenta l'ultima risorsa, ma se tutte le altre iniziative
rimangono chiuse, allora la Camera emettera' le richieste di
comparizione'', ha dichiarato il giudice Patrick Robinson, precisando
che quello delle testimonianze in aula e' un capitolo fondamentale del
procedimento giudiziario contro l'ex presidente jugoslavo iniziato nel
febbraio del 2002. Nei giorni scorsi, numerosi testimoni chiamati per
la difesa dell'imputato si sono rifiutati di presentarsi alla Corte
dell' Aja dopo la nomina da parte dei giudici del Tpi di due difensori
d'ufficio per Slobo, misura da sempre rifiutata dallo stesso Milosevic.
Il rifiuto a testimoniare e' dovuto insomma proprio al diniego da parte
dei giudici di concedere a Milosevic di difendersi da solo. Alla Corte
dell'Aja e' accusato di genocidio e crimini di guerra e contro
l'umanita' commessi durante i conflitti che hanno insanguinato la ex
Jugoslavia negli anni novanta. (ANSA) RIG
18/10/2004 12:09
MILOSEVIC: PRESSING GIUDICI TPI PER ASCOLTARE TESTIMONI/ANSA
(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 18 OTT - Scossone al Tribunale penale
internazionale sulla ex Jugoslavia, che dal febbraio del 2002 sta
processando Slobodan Milosevic: i giudici della Corte dell'Aja hanno
oggi fatto sapere di essere pronti a chiamare i testimoni che si
rifiutano di presentarsi in aula perche' sostengono l'imputato nella
sua volonta' di difendersi da solo. ''E' chiaro che questa decisione
rappresenta l'ultima ratio, ma se non ci saranno altre soluzioni,
allora la Camera emettera' le richieste di comparizione'', ha
dichiarato il giudice Patrick Robinson, precisando che quello delle
testimonianze in aula e' un capitolo fondamentale del procedimento
giudiziario contro l'ex presidente jugoslavo. Nei giorni scorsi,
numerosi testimoni chiamati per la difesa dell'imputato si sono
rifiutati di presentarsi alla Corte dell' Aja dopo la nomina da parte
dei giudici del Tpi di due difensori d'ufficio per Slobo - i britannici
Steve Kay e Gillian Higgins-, decisione respinta con forza dallo stesso
Milosevic. La posizione dei testimoni e' dovuta insomma proprio al
diniego da parte dei giudici all'autodifesa da parte di Milosevic, che
e' accusato di genocidio e crimini di guerra e contro l'umanita' per
delitti commessi durante i conflitti che hanno insanguinato la ex
Jugoslavia negli anni novanta. INTIMAZIONE A DEPORRE. Ma nei prossimi
giorni tutto potrebbe cambiare, proprio a causa dell'annuncio reso noto
oggi da Robinson, che potrebbe intimare ai recalcitranti testimoni di
deporre. Gli sforzi dei due avvocati d'ufficio per portare i testimoni
all'Aja non hanno per ora dato grandi risultati, e la situazione e'
anzi cosi' difficile che tali tentativi sono stati definiti
dall'avvocato Kay come una sorta di lunga e stancante ''danza dei sette
veli''. Alcuni testimoni hanno detto di non volersi recare alla Corte
proprio perche' ritengono ingiusto che a Slobo siano stati 'imposti' i
legali d'ufficio, altri hanno piu' semplicemente dichiarato che sono in
attesa dei propri governi - o posti di lavoro - per poter rispondere
alla richiesta dall'Aja. Kay ha per esempio ricordato di aver ricevuto
una lettera da Belgrado, nella quale le autorita' serbe hanno chiesto
all'Aja piu' informazioni prima de concedere il proprio ''via libera''
alla presenza alla Corte di un testimone, decisione per la quale - ha
puntualizzato l'avvocato - ci potrebbero volere mesi. Il problema dello
scontro tra Slobo e i giudici sulla nomina d'ufficio dei due difensori
potrebbe pero' chiarirsi giovedi' prossimo, quando la camera d'appello
della Corte si pronuncera' sul ricorso contro tale decisione presentato
dall'ex uomo forte di Belgrado. La nomina di Steven Kay e Gillian
Higgins e' stata decisa dalla presidenza del Tpi piu' di un mese fa per
imprimere maggior ritmo al processo, anche di fronte alla sospensione
di numerose udienze a causa dello stato di salute di Milosevic, che ha
63 anni ed e' da tempo affetto da ipertensione e stress: condizioni che
secondo i giudici non gli permettono di affrontare una mole di lavoro
tale quale quella richiesta dalla difesa, come egli invece vorrebbe.
(ANSA) RIG
18/10/2004 18:24
MILOSEVIC: TPI; MANCANO TESTI A DIFESA, PROCESSO RINVIATO
(ANSA) - L'AJA, 19 OTT - Processo rinviato per Slobodan Milosevic a
martedi' della prossima settimana per mancanza di testimoni a difesa.
Lo ha annunciato oggi il presidente del Tribunale penale internazionale
(Tpi) per la ex Jugoslavia Patrick Robinson dopo che Steven Kay, uno
dei difensori d'ufficio, aveva informato che per questa settimana non
erano disponibili altri testi a difesa. Ieri il tribunale aveva
annunciato che sarebbe ricorso anche alla citazione per obbligare i
testimoni a comparire dopo che la maggior parte delle persone indicate
da Slobo hanno annunciato che non deporranno fino a quando all'imputato
non sara' consentito di difendersi da solo. La decisione di designare
due avvocati d'ufficio incaricati di condurre gli interrogatori dei
testimoni e' stata presa dal tribunale per evitare che, a causa delle
continue richieste di rinvio per motivi di salute fatte da Slobo, il
processo subisse ulteriori rinvii o finisse per insabbiarsi
definitivamente. Contro tale decisione Milosevic e' ricorso in appello,
ha evitato qualsiasi collaborazione con i legali e si e' rifiutato di
interrogare i testimoni dopo i difensori. In piu' occasioni l'imputato
ha inoltre denunciato di ritenere questa procedura una violazione dei
suoi diritti. Il procedimento contro l'ex presidente jugoslavo e'
cominciato il 12 febbraio del 2002 e dovrebbe concludersi entro la fine
del prossimo anno. Slobo e' accusato di genocidio, crimini di guerra e
contro l'umanita' per un totale di oltre 60 imputazioni per i fatti
avvenuti negli anni '90 nelle guerre che hanno insanguinato alcune
regioni dei Balcani. (ANSA). VS 19/10/2004 19:20
=== 2 ===
http://english.pravda.ru/mailbox/22/101/399/14445_Milosevic.html
http://english.pravda.ru/printed.html?news_id=14445
---
L'intera verità a L'Aia
14/10/2004 18:53
Malgrado i tentativi di fare tacere Slobodan Milosevic, il suo processo
si sta dimostrando una interessante fonte di informazioni su che cosa è
realmente accaduto nei Balcani.
A Slobodan Milosevic, l'ex-Presidente della Iugoslavia, è stato negato
inesplicabilmente il diritto di continuare a difendersi da solo e,
invece, gli è stato assegnato un avvocato di nome Steven Kay, che
conduce la "difesa" senza alcuna informazione dal gruppo di Milosevic.
Dei 97 testimoni con cui si è messo in contatto, 92 si sono
immediatamente rifiutati di testimoniare a meno che a Slobodan
Milosevic non sia dato il diritto di difendersi da solo, secondo Zdenko
Tomanovic, consigliere legale principale del sig. Milosevic. Tuttavia,
un testimone che ha acconsentito a testimoniare ha lasciato la NATO e i
relativi padroni a Washington a contorcersi nell'imbarazzo.
Un giornalista tedesco, l'ex-maggiore dell'Esercito Franz Josef Hutsch
era in Kosovo tra settembre del 1998 e dicembre del 1999. Egli
descrive se stesso come "reporter inserito nel KLA" (KLA - Kosovo
Liberation Army, esercito di liberazione del Kosovo, altrimenti noto
come UCK - Ushtria Clirimtare e Kosoves).
Franz Josef Hutsch dichiara che il clima che ha trovato nella provincia
era "teso ma non violento" ma che la violenza è stata causata dall'UCK,
non dai Serbi. L'UCK, sostiene, usava la tattica del colpisci-e-scappa
contro le pattuglie dei Serbi e tendeva a provocare "reazioni in
eccesso" dalle autorità, spesso inscenando rappresentazioni,
assicurandosi che i civili
fossero nel posto sbagliato al momento sbagliato, solitamente appena
prima che arrivassero i giornalisti.
Inoltre sostiene che gli albanesi cercavano di ingannare i Serbi per
farli sparare sui civili, i quali furono usati ed abusati per
soddisfare gli obiettivi dell'UCK, obbligati a resistere a condizioni
atmosferiche dure, in modo che sarebbero apparsi rabbrividiti e miseri
avanti alle macchine fotografiche, o da disporli nelle zone di
combattimento per aumentare i danni collaterali.
Gli albanesi avrebbero fatto i loro soldi con il traffico di droghe e
della prostituzione - le droghe e le donne, spesso le ragazze albanesi
più graziose strappate dalle loro famiglie, sarebbero state scambiate
con pistole alla frontiera.
Per quanto riguarda gli ufficiali, Hutsch dichiara che fra 80 e 100
ufficiali arabi hanno lavorato con il KLA (UCK - n.d.t.) e che ogni
unità è stata comandata da uno di questi Mujaheddin, che furono pagati
con "somme enormi" dalla ditta MPRI, che aveva addestrato questi
elementi in basi in Turchia.
La nazionalità della ditta MPRI? Gli Stati Uniti d'America.
Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey
Pravda - Mosca
(trad. di F. Rossi / G.A.MA.DI.)
---
The whole truth at The Hague
PRAVDA - 10/14/2004 18:53
Despite the attempts to silence Slobodan Milosevic, his trial is
proving an interesting source of information about what really happened
in the Balkans.
Slobodan Milosevic, the ex-President of Yugoslavia, has inexplicably
been denied the right to continue defending himself and instead, has
been allocated a lawyer named Steven Kay, who conducts the "defence"
without any information from the Milosevic team.
Of the 97 witnesses he contacted, 92 flatly refused to testify unless
Slobodan Milosevic be given back the right to defend himself, according
to Zdenko Tomanovic, Mr. Milosevic's chief legal advisor.
However, one witness who agreed to testify has left NATO and its
masters in Washington squirming in embarrassment.
German journalist, ex-Army Major Franz Josef Hutsch was in Kosovo
between September 1998 and December 1999. He describes himself as an
"embedded reporter in the KLA" (Kosovo Liberation Army, otherwise knows
as Ushtria Clirimtare e Kosoves, UCK).
Franz Josef Hutsch states that the climate he found in the province was
"tense but not violent" but that the violence was caused by the UCK,
not the Serbs. The UCK, he claims, used hit-and-run tactics against
Serb patrols and tried to provoke "excessive reaction" from the
authorities, often staging events, making sure that civilians were in
the wrong place at the wrong time, usually just before the journalists
arrived.
He also claims that the Albanians tried to trick the Serbs into firing
on civilians, which were used and abused to suit the aims of the UCK,
being forced to endure harsh weather conditions so that they would be
shivering and miserable before the cameras, or to be placed in combat
areas to increase collateral damage.
The Albanians would make their money through the trafficking of drugs
and prostitution - the drugs and women, often the prettier Albanian
girls snatched from their families, would be swapped for guns on the
frontier.
As for the officers, Hutsch states that between 80 and 100 Arabic
officers worked with the KLA and that each unit was commanded by one of
these Mujaheddin, who were paid "huge sums" of money by the firm MPRI,
which trained these elements in bases in Turkey.
The nationality of the firm MPRI? The United States of America.
=== 3 ===
*************************************************************
INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE TO DEFEND SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC
ICDSM Sofia-New York-Moscow www.icdsm.org
*************************************************************
I C D S M w e b s i t e u p d a t e
18 October 2004
================================================
JUDr Vojtech Filip, Vice-Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies of the
Parliament of the Czech Republic just joined the Lawyers' Appeal to UN
against the imposition of counsel on President Slobodan Milosevic.
The Appeal now has 100 signatures of jurists, lawyers and law
professors from 18 countries. The text of the Appeal, together with the
list of signatures, can be read at
http://www.icdsm.org/Lawappeal.htm
If you are a member of legal community, please join it by sending your
consent to slobodavk@ yubc.net
================================================
The latest update of www.icdsm.org brings you the most comprehensive
review of reactions on the attack on international law and human rights
by the Albright/Kinkel/Soros creation known as "The International
Criminal Tribunal
for the former Yugoslavia". http://www.icdsm.org/Hijack.htm
You can read statements, interviews and articles by Aldo Bernardini,
James Bissett, Christopher Black, Ramsey Clark, Tiphaine Dickson,
Pierre-Marie Gallois, Klaus Hartmann, Gabriel Kaspereit, George Kenney,
Hans Koechler, John Laughland, Evangelos Mahairas, Thanasis Pafilis,
Michael Parenti, Yevgeny Primakov, Nikolai Ryzhkov, Branislav
Tapuskovic and many others.
You can also read the letter of ICDSM to the UN Security Council and
the letter of Sloboda/Freedom Association to the Bar Council of England
and Wales.
This is the most crucial moment in this struggle. The ICTY as a tool of
aggression is loosing its judicial mask. President Milosevic is already
a moral winner. But the issue is to stop the crime in progress and turn
his moral victory into triumph of truth and law.
www.icdsm.org provides you with arguments and reasons for concrete
solidarity with the struggle for freedom of Slobodan Milosevic and
Serbian people.
================================================
=== 4 ===
------ Forwarded Message
From: "Ian Johnson"
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 02:17:10 +0100
THE REAL SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC – BBC RADIO FIVE 8p.m. 10th OCT. 2004
The misnamed BBC programme, The Real Slobodan Milosevic, (or should
that be ‘the Zarko Korac show?) was broadcast to coincide with the
opening of the defence case at the Hague tribunal. Surprisingly then,
that during its 60 minutes running time, the programme failed to
mention the fact that Mr Milosevic has actually been denied the
fundamental legal right to defend himself. An ‘oversight’ that was
sadly predictable given the history of BBC reporting on Yugoslavia.
Entirely appropriately the presenter of this latest BBC propaganda
piece was television chat show host and comedian Clive Anderson.
(Presumably chosen because at some point in the past he practised in
the legal profession).
The programme relied heavily on contributions from the usual suspects
such as the already discredited ‘journalist’ Samantha Power, former
British Foreign secretary’s Robin Cook and Douglas Hurd and Jim O’Brien
from the Clinton administration, all united by a single thread - their
opposition to an independent Yugoslavia.
No members of the Milosevic camp appeared.
However the programme relied to a disproportionate extent on
contributions from Mr Zarko Korac.
Prior to his term as Serbian deputy prime minister, Mr Korac had been
appearing for over a decade on Western television described as ‘an
expert on Yugoslav psychology’ and he is very much America’s man.
It was Mr Korac who put about the story, printed in the New York Times
2nd April 2001, that prior to being taken into detention Mr Milosevic
was ‘suicidal’ and had ‘threatened to kill himself and his wife and
daughter’. (Presumably not in that order though!) The story was untrue
of course, as later verified by people who were actually present when
Mr Milosevic was taken, such as Banislav Ivkovic, "In fact, Mr
Milosevic was quite calm, which is amazing given the threat to himself,
his family and his supporters. Why is Mr. Korac, who was not present,
telling these lies about Mr. Milosevic’s actions?"
Therefore perhaps it is no surprise to learn that Zarko Korac is still
in the business of representing America’s interests above those of his
country.
Interestingly a brief contribution from Dr Cees Wiebes, a professor at
Amsterdam University, went against the main thrust of the programme by
revealing that there is no evidence linking Milosevic to the Srebrenica
charge. Wiebes headed a team of intelligence specialists commissioned
by the Dutch government to look into Srebrenica because its own forces
were present in the town under the UN flag. Wiebes also stated his team
offered their evidence to the Hague tribunal chief prosecutor Carla del
Ponte, but were brushed off. 'What I heard from good sources
in The Hague is that Miss del Ponte thinks that we're too nuanced and
not seeing things in black and white,' he said.
The programme soon attempted to drown this brief glimpse into reality
by trying to paint a picture of Slobodan Milosevic as cynical, power
hungry, corrupt, paranoid, a dictator and ultimately a weak man (they
forgot to mention he eats babies as well). And this was being presented
as objective reporting?
According to the programme it was Yugoslavia alone that tore itself
apart, thus conveniently ignoring the well documented evidence of
unprecedented outside interference in the affairs of the FRY by the
Western powers. (For example funding to opposition forces was
channelled though the US government agency, the National Endowment for
Democracy (NED). Founded in 1983, the NED took over functions that were
once the responsibility of the CIA. Unlike the CIA however the NED
receives open congressional appropriations, as opposed to the
previously covert funding, and thus their activities are openly
documented. For instance NED programme operator Paul McCarthy revealed
in his testimony to the Commission on Security and Cooperation in
Europe that the NED, in 1998, was responsible in Yugoslavia for the
newspapers Nasa Borba, Vreme and Danas, the TV station Negotin, the
news agency BETA and the Belgrade station Radio B-92.
Significantly, in August 1999, the NED increased their funding to the
Serbian ‘youth’ organisation Otpor, essentially recruiting the most
reactionary layers from the ranks of the unemployed. The fruits of this
strategy are outlined in the NED’s own literature. " Otpor’s activists
played a crucial role in the street demonstrations that followed the
elections and led to Milosevic’s ultimate downfall on October 5th." And
further: "Otpor’s first major campaign was a nation-wide effort to
pressure the regime to arrest Slododan Milosevic." That Otpor were
following a strategy laid down by Washington was emphasised when
Richard Holbrooke admitted to the New York Times of 8th April 2001,
"The arrest of Mr Milosevic resulted from American pressure."
It is worth noting that included among the directors on the board of
the National Endowment for Democracy are Wesley Clark – former Supreme
Commander of Nato, Richard Holbrooke – former Assistant Secretary of
State and Francis Fukuyama – author of the anti-communist diatribe,
‘The End of History.’ ).
For any programme to therefore state that ‘’Yugoslavia tore itself
apart’ reveals more about that programme’s intentions than it does
about what actually happened in the Balkans.
Former British foreign secretary Douglas Hurd contributed to this
fictional presentation by adding that if only Milosevic had accepted
‘liberalisation’ Yugoslavia could today be like Poland.
For the record it is worth noting that a recent article by James
Petras, (http://globalresearch.ca/articles/PET406B%c2%a0%c2%a0), outlined the
results of this road as seen in other countries over the last fifteen
years. His findings on Poland:
‘In Poland, the former Gdansk Shipyard, point of origin of the
Solidarity Trade Union, is closed and now a museum piece. Over 20% of
the labor force is officially unemployed (Financial Times, Feb. 21/22,
2004) and has been for the better part of the decade. Another 30% is
"employed" in marginal, low paid jobs (prostitution, contraband, drugs,
flea markets, street venders and the underground economy).'
As expected the programme concluded that Mr Milosevic will rightly be
found guilty of ‘most of the charges’ he is facing at the Hague.
Listeners hoping for an insight into the creation and legal status of
the Hague ‘tribunal’ or the notorious anti-Serb Rambouillet ‘peace
treaty’ or the real ethnic cleansing of Serbs by Croatian forces under
United States command in the Krajina region would be disappointed,
these issues were not addressed.
Indeed what could you expect from a BBC documentary on Slobodan
Milosevic and Yugoslavia…..the truth? Hardly.
Ian Johnson
October 2004
---
Milosevic case collusion
The Times (London) - October 5, 2004, Tuesday
From John Laughland.
Sir, I was disappointed in your interview with Stephen Kay (Law,
September 21), that you seemed to approve, at least nem con, the
decision of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia to impose counsel on Slobodan Milosevic. The judges of the
trial chamber have ruled repeatedly against the prosecution's request
for counsel to be imposed, and their ruling of April 4 last year gives
20 pages of legal reasoning and precedent to justify their decision.
When on September 2 the ICTY went against all its earlier rulings and
decided to impose counsel on Mr Milosevic, it did not quote one single
legal convention or precedent in support of its new position. The
decision, justified only in the name of expediency, is therefore as
pure an example of a lawless and arbitrary decision as one can imagine.
The decision confirms that the judges are actively colluding in
achieving the outcome for which this political tribunal was set up in
the first place -a conviction of Slobodan Milosevic at all costs.
Yours faithfully, JOHN LAUGHLAND, British Helsinki Human Rights Group,
81 Hammersmith Grove, London W6 0NE.
SECTION: Features; Law; 10
Copyright 2004 Times Newspapers Limited
=== 5 ===
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/
0,6903,1323864,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/yugo/article/0,2763,1324024,00.html
[Pardon the other Serbophobe misrepresentations in
what follows; what's to be expected from The
Observer/Guardian.
Interesting, though, that such cliches are revived at
the very moment that the Bosnian butcher Naser Oric is
being examined for his role in mass murder and
ethnocide against Serbs and other populations in the
early 1990s. Rick R.]
The Observer -- October 10, 2004
Milosevic: 'no link to genocide found'
Chris Stephen
Fresh controversy has hit the war crimes trial of
Slobodan Milosevic with a claim from a senior
intelligence analyst that the Yugoslav leader is
innocent of genocide.
Dr Cees Wiebes, a professor at Amsterdam University,
now says there is no evidence linking Milosevic to the
worst atrocity of the Bosnian war, the massacre of
7,000 Muslims at the town of Srebrenica.
Srebrenica, which was overrun by Serb forces in July
1995, forms the basis of the genocide charge against
Milosevic, but Wiebes, a member of a Dutch government
inquiry into the atrocity, said there is nothing to
link Milosevic to the crime.
'In our report, which is about 7,000 pages long, we
come to the conclusion that Milosevic had no
foreknowledge of the subsequent massacres,' he says in
a radio programme, The Real Slobodan Milosevic, to be
broadcast by BBC Five Live tonight. 'What we did find,
however, was evidence to the contrary. Milosevic was
very upset when he learnt about the massacres.'
The prospect of the former Balkan strongman being
cleared of the most serious charge he faces is a fresh
blow to an already troubled case, which begins hearing
defence evidence this week after several months of
delays.
Any failure to prove genocide will cast a shadow not
only over this case but over the whole practicality of
holding tyrants to account in war crimes trials, most
obviously in the case against Saddam Hussein.
Wiebes headed a team of intelligence specialists
commissioned by the Dutch government to look into the
massacre because its own forces were present in the
town under the UN flag.
He had access to secret files, key diplomats and
hundreds of witnesses to a massacre in which Muslim
men and boys as young as 12 were butchered by Bosnian
Serb forces. But while clearly implicating senior Serb
field commanders, including General Ratko Mladic, the
former Bosnian army chief still on the run, Wiebes
says Milosevic played no part.
He said it was understandable that Milosevic was upset
'because in this phase of the war he was looking for a
political settlement and this was not very good for
him'.
Wiebes also says his team offered their evidence to
the Hague tribunal chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte,
but were brushed off. 'What I heard from good sources
in The Hague is that Miss del Ponte thinks that we're
too nuanced and not seeing things in black and white,'
he said.
Hague prosecutors insist this is not so, saying that
the report was not relevant. Prosecution spokeswoman
Florence Hartmann said: 'The purpose of the report was
not to deal with criminal cases relating to
Srebrenica, and was commissioned... for other
purposes.'
Wiebes is the first senior figure to say publicly what
many Hague sources have been saying privately for some
time - that there is simply no evidence to back the
genocide charge.
Prosecutors have spent months trying to prove
otherwise, but have drawn a series of blanks, despite
the appearance of high-profile witnesses. These have
included former Nato commander Wesley Clark, whose
evidence in The Hague last December was that Milosevic
told him he knew about the crime and tried to stop it.
Milosevic undoubtedly facilitated the killing by
providing Bosnian Serb forces with guns, fuel and
cash. But for a genocide conviction to stick,
prosecutors must prove that he gave the order.
· Chris Stephen is the author of 'Judgement Day: The
Trial of Slobodan Milosevic', published by Atlantic
Books
==========================
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