Milosevic dies in jail

Quote:

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has died, the UN tribunal said on Saturday, just months before his war crimes trial was expected to conclude.

"Milosevic was found lifeless on his bed in his cell at the United Nations detention unit," the tribunal said in a statement.

"The guard immediately alerted the detention unit officer in command and the medical officer. The latter confirmed that Slobodan Milosevic was dead."

The tribunal said the Dutch police and a Dutch coroner were called in and started an inquiry. A full autopsy and toxicological examination have been ordered. Milosevic's family has been informed, it added.

The tribunal did not say how Milosevic had died. French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy told Reuters Milosevic had died of natural causes.

Milosevic, 64, suffered a heart condition and high blood pressure which had repeatedly interrupted his trial in The Hague on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes during the bloody disintegration of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

Two cardiologists treating Milosevic in The Hague had warned he was at risk of a potentially life threatening condition known as a hypertensive emergency, when surges in blood pressure can damage the heart, kidneys and central nervous system.

Last month, the tribunal rejected a request by Milosevic to travel to Russia for specialist medical treatment, noting that his trial -- that has already lasted four years -- was in the final stages and he might not return to complete it.

The court said Milosevic's lawyers had not shown that his medical needs could not be met in the Netherlands and said experts from abroad could come to The Hague to treat him.

Milosevic, who was overthrown in 2000 and sent to The Hague in June 2001, said last month his health was worsening.

Milosevic's brother lives in Russia and prosecutors suspect his wife and son do too. The prosecution had opposed his release despite a promise by Russia to return him, fearing he could say his health stopped him from travelling back to The Hague.

The former Serb strongman was defending himself and had refused to cooperate with court-appointed lawyers who are on standby to fill in for him when he is ill.

He had used up more than four-fifths of the 150 days allotted for his defence, suggesting the case could be wrapped up in the next few months barring any new delays. Judges would then need several months to deliberate before a verdict.

Milosevic is charged with 66 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in complex indictments covering conflicts in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo in the 1990s. He declined to enter a plea.

Last week, former rebel Croatian Serb leader Milan Babic committed suicide at the tribunal's detention centre. Babic had testified against Milosevic and was in The Hague to appear in the trial of another top Croatian Serb.

Scource: http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/News...-MILOSEVIC.xml

I also heard it from numerous German and Serbian sources, so I think that reuters.co.uk is somehow telling the truth.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I wonder how badly this will interrupt the process of justice.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

They'll probably continue the trial and posthumously find him guilty on all charges, for closure and shit.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Watts

I wonder how badly this will interrupt the process of justice.

I think you can forget the trial now since he is dead. First Babic, then Milosevic...I wonder how long Seselj and Gotovina will make it.

EDIT:

Originally Posted by The Dopefish

They'll probably continue the trial and posthumously find him guilty on all charges, for closure and shit.

Or it will be like this, since he has defended himself without a lawyer all the time.

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It is really a shame that all war criminals die before they can face REAL justice. Same will happen to Saddam, just wait...

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by The Dopefish

They'll probably continue the trial and posthumously find him guilty on all charges, for closure and shit.

Wasn't what I mean't. Now any suspected criminal brought before the Hague could claim that his life is being put under needless endangerment.

There was a suicide a week ago, so this isn't the first time a prisoner has died in the Tribunal's prison. This might open a whole new can of worms. But we'll see what the results from the atopsy says.

Originally Posted by AlogiA

I think you can forget the trial now since he is dead. First Babic, then Milosevic...I wonder how long Seselj and Gotovina will make it.

Maybe.

Probably not long. Two within practically one week? Is this the way Europeans handle their death penalty?

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by The Dopefish

They'll probably continue the trial and posthumously find him guilty on all charges, for closure and shit.

Yes, and then they'll execute his corpse. Really, though: this should be done if only to prove to people that he really was a criminal (or so to speak).

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Musharraf

It is really a shame that all war criminals die before they can face REAL justice. Same will happen to Saddam, just wait...

I agree! Itzebegovic and Tudjman were also war criminals, but they died before there were some charges. Karadzic and Mladic are still somewhere in Bosnia.

Some of the ciminals are even released from prison like Fatmir Limaj or the charges are dropped for no reason like the ones one Hasim Tachi.

But what about the war criminals like Bush and Blair? Will they face somday "REAL justice"? Somehow I don't think so...

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Musharraf

It is really a shame that all war criminals die before they can face REAL justice. Same will happen to Saddam, just wait...

You mean, torture him?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Hopefully he was at least sodomized before he died.

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Originally Posted by kapsi

You mean, torture him?

Uhh no dude do I look as if I was a retard? It's just that without a sentence, you're not guilty of a crime, law is easy as that!

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Musharraf

It is really a shame that all war criminals die before they can face REAL justice. Same will happen to Saddam, just wait...

Well, that's because the whole trial has incompetence written all over it. As soon as I heard it honestly took them a year to figure out how to charge him with anything I knew they had no clue what the hell they were doing. It's just one big political circus act with incompetent clowns running the show.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Criminals like Saddam or Milosevic should feel the same pain they made their victims feel. But im afraid you cant make someone feel a million deaths -.-

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Taterdemalion

Hopefully he was at least sodomized before he died.

Probably not. That would be too fair. Sometimes people deserve worse things.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Myst'

Criminals like Saddam or Milosevic should feel the same pain they made their victims feel.

Ditto. That is, for Bush and Blair.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Atomic Duck

Well, that's because the whole trial has incompetence written all over it. As soon as I heard it honestly took them a year to figure out how to charge him with anything I knew they had no clue what the hell they were doing. It's just one big political circus act with incompetent clowns running the show.

That 's right! Why else would it take them over 5 years?

The trial was often live broadcasted on RTS (Radio Televizija Srbija). Always when Milosevic had some very good counter-statements, the judges turned off his microphone.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Killy

Ditto. That is, for Bush and Blair.

Wow. I can't say I've heard this sort of thing too much.
Since when are people criminals for starting wars? (Don't get me wrong, I don't like the 'war' as much as anyone else, but to suggest that someone is a criminal for starting a war is asinine. To my knowledge, those two haven't committed genocide.)

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Snowknight

Wow. I can't say I've heard this sort of thing too much.
Since when are people criminals for starting wars? (Don't get me wrong, I don't like the 'war' as much as anyone else, but to suggest that someone is a criminal for starting a war is asinine. To my knowledge, those two haven't committed genocide.)

To my knowledge, they're just as guilty as any other leading figure for killing civilians and sending young soldiers off to war. Genocide or not, they're just as bad as Milosevic was.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by AlogiA

That 's right! Why else would it take them over 5 years?

The trial was often live broadcasted on RTS (Radio Televizija Srbija). Always when Milosevic had some very good counter-statements, the judges turned off his microphone.

Very good counterstatements?
How can anyone justify attempted genocide and crimes against humanity?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Obviously he was being tried for those sorts of things, but he was never found guilty of them. Thats why they have these trials in the first place. Sure we could just go "YOU'RE GUILTY ITS OVER FOR YOU", but then what about the wrongly accused.

Not to say, that he wasn't probably guilty, but you know.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by AlogiA

That 's right! Why else would it take them over 5 years?

The Nuremburg trials took four years. So it's not like five years is all that much more. Plus, they were supposively close to a sentence.

Investigation of Milosevic's 90+ counts of genocide and crimes against humanity take's time. Every single count must be throughly proven in the interests of justice.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Breakable

How can anyone justify attempted genocide and crimes against humanity?

Because it is not for 100% sure if Milosevic has the full responsibility for ALL massacres in Bosnia commited by Serbs. Karadzic and Mladic made many crimes on their own without Milosevic's oders.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Devo

I believe there is a charter within the UN the U.S. has not signed which keeps our leaders from being persecuted of war crimes.

Not exactly, we don't officially recognize the authority of the international crime court.

That doesn't mean they still couldn't try Americans for crimes against humanity, it's just that there'd be no point.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Devo

The U.S. would probably laugh at the U.N. and basically give it the finger (but in a diplomatic sense).

Aren't they doing it all the time already?

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Starting wars, especially when there is, at the time, apparent reasonable cause for the war, is completely different from what Milosevic did, which was basically to directly target and kill thousands of people of an ethnic group merely for the fact that they are in that group.
Genocide and war are different, and if you think they aren't, you need to keep quiet about international affairs, 'cuz you clearly don't really know what you are talking about.

Jam it back in, in the dark.