Herald Sun: Milosevic trial postponed

[reorg]

Milosevic trial postponed
By Anthony Deutsch in The Hague
16sep04

STALLED by reluctant witnesses and an uncooperative defendant, judges today ordered a one month adjournment in Slobodan Milosevic's war crimes trial to give the former Yugoslav president's court-assigned lawyers time to prepare a defence.

At least 20 of Mr Milosevic's witnesses, including high-level foreign politicians, have refused to appear in court since the judges limited Mr Milosevic's ability to mount his own defence, British lawyer Steven Kay told the tribunal.

The court rejected Mr Kay's request to give Mr Milosevic the first right to question witnesses in the courtroom and to let him lead his own defence.

Mr Kay had asked the court for an adjournment while an appeals chamber weighed his request to return Mr Milosevic's right to represent himself, as he had done since the trial began in February 2002.

(...)

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,10780190%255E401,00.html


Ramsey Clark recently commented:

"Under International Law, every person accused of a crime has the right to represent himself in person in the court adjudicating his case. Slobodan Milosevic is no exception. The Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia has destroyed its last claim to legality by attempting to deprive the former President of Yugoslavia of this fundamental human right.

The appearance of President Milosevic representing himself alone during the prosecution case for over 2 years, nearly 300 trial days, cross examining nearly 300 prosecution witnesses, coping with 500,000 documents, and 30,000 pages of trial transcript then at the very beginning of his presentation of his own defense being silenced and lawyers he rejects placed in charge of his destiny, speaks of injustice.

President Milosevic vigorously presented his opening statement of his own defense in person for two days on August 31 and September 1, 2004 immediately before the Trial Chamber decided he "is not fit enough to represent himself". He was apparently "fit enough" to perform that task. If the time comes when credible doctors, including his own, find that a slower pace is required to protect his health, or that further effort by him at that time may impair his health, then the only permissible course is to follow a schedule that honors his right to defend himself in person and protects his ability to do so. Life, truth and justice are more important than the schedules of courts, or railroads. ..."

http://globalresearch.ca/articles/RAM409A.html