Milosevic treated like complete criminal

Former Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic is expressing his protests being at the Hague Tribunal. Milosevic appealed to the chief judge Richard May and said he was deprived of the rights enjoyed by other convicted. For instance, as the former Yugoslavian president says, he has been in isolation for several months, he is allowed to meet with his family under surveillance only. No telephone connection can be established for Slobodan Milosevic with his aides in Belgrade. He says, it is done on purpose.

However, the state of health of the convicted that is getting worse because of the present living conditions, causes more anxiety. Richard May thinks, most part of the Tribunal’s charges against Milosevic are far-fetched.

On March 7 the Serbian Socialist Party, where Milosevic is the chairman, issued an open letter to say, life of the former Yugoslavia president was in danger. The letter said, “Slobodan Milosevic is exposed to maltreatment from a so-called “tribunal” in Hague. Lines thrusted on Milosevic deprive him of common human rights. The well-schemed and speeded up course of the trial makes it impossible for the former Yugoslavian president to spend more time outdoors, breaks the regular meals regime, practically no time is left for him to get ready for the hearings and have enough rest. Obviously, the mentioned facts are designed to frustrate Milosevic’s physical and mental strength, in order not to let him testify against real initiators of the crimes committed in Yugoslavia.”

The Serbian Social Party calls upon Skupstine to pass a special resolution to make the Yugoslavian government provide necessary conditions for Slobodan Milosevic to defend at the trial. The party says, Milosevic is to be released for the period of the trial.

Still, the idea of the leftist forces was not supported in Skupstine so far.

Sergey Stefanov PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Maria Gousseva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/04/26/40364.html