[L-I] Tapuskovic refuses to join the Hague criminal cousine

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A NOTE FROM SLOBODA/ICDSM:

The Hague tribunal has not yet given-up from its criminal intentions towards
President Milosevic. And our voice of protest and any public voice of
protest is becoming more and more unpleasant to them. They are being caught
in a criminal act.

On Friday, 6 August, two most important Belgrade dailies, "Politika" and
"Novosti" gave lot of space ("Politika" on its front page) to interviews
with Belgrade lawyer Branislav Tapuskovic (one of the Amici Curiae during
the Prosecution case), who sent a letter to the tribunal, declaring his
refusal to accept to be on the among the candidates for an imposed counsel
to President Milosevic, something which was offered to him a day earlier in
a phone call from the tribunal's Registry. In his letter, Mr. Tapuskovic
used the arguments similar to the ones contained in the International
Lawyers' Petition sent several days earlier to the UN and to the tribunal.
Almost all other Belgrade media also reported on his decision.

But, up to now, NONE of the Western media reported a word on that!

We again call upon all lawyers, law professors and professional jurists to
join the Lawyers Petition. The days in front of us are decisive for the
protection of International Law and for the struggle for truth about Serbian
people.

The Lawyers Petition can be read at:
http://www.icdsm.org/Lawappeal.htm

Instead of excellent articles from "Politika" and "Novosti", which we have
only in Serbian, we offer you bellow the one on the same issue which
appeared in the English Internet edition of the Belgrade newspaper "Blic".

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Hague Tribunal in panic search of lawyer for Milosevic
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Blic Online, 7 August 2004

Belgrade lawyers Zdenko Tomanovic and Branislav Tapuskovic refused proposal
by the Hague Tribunal to defend Slobodan Milosevic as per official service
duty.

Due to further deterioration of Milosevic's health and impossibility of
appointing his defender, beginning of Milosevic's defense scheduled for
August 31 could be postponed again.

Lawyer Zdenko Tomanovic did not want to comment for 'Blic' information that
he had refused offer by that Hague Tribunal to him to defend Milosevic.

Lawyer Branislav Tapuskovic who was engaged by the Hague tribunal as 'friend
of the court' says that Milosevic has granted right to defend himself
personally regardless of his health condition.

'My acceptance of the tribunal's offer would violence Milosevic's right. If
Milosevic is unable to be in the courtroom, my opinion is that the court
trial cannot be continued', Tapuskovic says.

Cardiologists say that Milosevic needs to rest because of high blood
pressure and heart problems. Milosevic was of the opinion that continuation
of the court trial should have been postponed for one month at least.

Aleksandra Milenov of Belgrade office of the Hague tribunal says for 'Blic'
that judges are considering possibility of giving so-called 'stand-by'
defender who would follow the court process and undertake the matter when
Milosevic is unable to carry out his own defense.

'When his health improves, Milosevic would again question the witnesses by
himself. The second possibility is division of the indictment into two or
three parts in which case the court process would develop in series. I do
not know when the judges will decide on that since at the moment Tribunal's
officials are on holiday', Aleksandra Milenov said.

*End of the "Blic" article*
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THE INTERNATIONAL LAWYERS' PETITION:
"IMPOSITION OF COUNSEL ON SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC THREATENS THE FUTURE OF
INTERNATIONAL LAW AND THE LIFE OF THE DEFENDANT"
http://www.icdsm.org/Lawappeal.htm
GETS NEW SIGNATURES: Mark Littman, QC (UK), Jean-Marie Dermagne (Belgium),
Giuseppe Pelazza (Italy), Miljenko Reljic (Australia)...
LAWYERS, JURISTS, PROFESSORS OF LAW ARE INVITED TO JOIN BEFORE IT IS TOO
LATE (THE ICTY CAN ADOPT ITS DECISIONS ALREADY IN MID-AUGUST. DATA OF NEW
SIGNERS SHOULD BE SENT TO:
[email protected]
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SLOBODA urgently needs your donation.
Please find the detailed instructions at:
http://www.sloboda.org.yu/pomoc.htm

To join or help this struggle, visit:
http://www.sloboda.org.yu/ (Sloboda/Freedom association)
http://www.icdsm.org/ (the international committee to defend Slobodan
Milosevic)
http://www.free-slobo.de/ (German section of ICDSM)
http://www.icdsm-us.org/ (US section of ICDSM)
http://www.icdsmireland.org/ (ICDSM Ireland)
http://www.pasti.org/milodif.htm (ICDSM Italy)
http://www.wpc-in.org/ (world peace council)
http://www.geocities.com/b_antinato/ (Balkan antiNATO center)


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