[L-I] Tapuskovic on the rights of Milosevic and notice how to watch the opening speech

HAGUE TRIBUNAL: IMPOSITION OF COUNSEL ON SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC?

Interview of Belgrade lawyer Branislav Tapuskovic (former Amicus Curiae a=
t
the Hague process) to the German daily "junge Welt", 30 August 2004

By Anna Gutenberg

Q: The ICTY Registrar recently asked you whether you would agree to be on
the list of potential lawyers to be imposed on Mr. Milosevic. Were you
surprised that the judges reintroduced that issue after Mr. Milosevic
successfully defended himself during the Prosecution case? Or did you hav=
e
some other thoughts on the matter?

A: Yes, I was surprised, because, if Slobodan Milosevic is ill, even if h=
e
had had a counsel all the time, the trial could not have gone on as long =
as
the illness lasted. The proposal of the Prosecution to use a video-link i=
s
senseless: a video link cannot make an ill person process-capable.

Q: Why did you refuse?

A: I have respected the provision of Article 21, point 4/d of the Statute=
 of
the ICTY, according to which every defendant has the guaranteed right TO =
BE
TRIED IN HIS PRESENCE AND TO DEFEND HIMSELF IN PERSON.

Q: I remember the occasions when the judges treated you harshly whenever =
you
put forward the important facts during the testimony of prosecution
witnesses. They once accused you of defending Mr. Milosevic. Can you comm=
ent
on that?

A: I did not see it that way. My duty in particular was to insist on
releasing evidence that came out of the exhibits I was receiving from the
Prosecution. It was really not my problem to worry about how the Judges
treated me.

Q: What do you think about the argument that an accused can be too ill to
present his case, but fit enough to stand trial? Is that common?

A: About the accused's health condition, only physicians can decide on th=
at.
And, in my opinion, that has to be obligatory for the court. If the
physicians conclude that Slobodan Milosevic is ill, unfit to defend himse=
lf,
and cannot be present in the court, then there can be no trial at all.
Simply, in that case the Prosecution does not have a case.

Q: Critical voices say that imposing counsel on Mr. Milosevic is an attem=
pt
to prevent him from presenting his facts and witnesses. Comment, please.

A: The trial cannot be valid if Slobodan Milosevic does not present his
evidence.

Q: What do you think about the fact that former US Secretary of State M.
Albright was visiting the ICTY on the very day in early July when the jud=
ges
accepted the possibility of imposing counsel?

A: One can only guess, but my position has always been that politics must
not influence the work of any court.

Q: Thank you very much.

Den Artikel finden Sie unter:
http://www.jungewelt.de/2004/08-30/018.php

(c) Junge Welt 2004
http://www.jungewelt.de

***********************************************************
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

ALL WHO ARE NOT ABLE TO BE AT THE HAGUE ON 31 August AND 1 September 2004
CAN WATCH THE HISTORIC OPENING SPEECH OF SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC VIA INTERNET.

Everything you have to do is to go to the tribunal's web site:

www.un.org/icty

and to choose the proper link on the main page (video or audio, English,
French or Serbian channel - in all cases you need the freeware called Rea=
l
Player, that can be also downloaded from the Internet).

***********************************************************

THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC AND THE INTERNATIONAL LAW ARE IN PERIL.

JOIN THE INTERNATIONAL LAWYERS' PETITION:
http://www.icdsm.org/Lawappeal.htm

JOIN THE INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS' APPEAL FOR MILOSEVIC:
http://www.icdsm.org/more/artists.htm

SUPPORT THE ICDSM:
http://www.icdsm.org/

*********************************************************

*************************************************************
INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE TO DEFEND SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC
www.icdsm.org
[email protected]
**************************************************************
In the struggle US/NATO vs. People which is going on at The Hague, US/NAT=
O
is represented by 1300 employees fed every year with 100.000 $ per person.
People is represented by Slobodan Milosevic alone, armed only with truth =
and
with your support!
NOW is the last moment for full mobilization of all our political,
intellectual and financial potentials to prevent the worse and to decisiv=
ely
help People and Slobodan Milosevic to win the battle for truth.
ICDSM has to set up an effective information center at The Hague to preve=
nt
criminal injustices and to promote, in closest interaction with President
Milosevic and with the small team of his assistants, his struggle for tru=
th,
to bring
his numerous important witnesses before the press and to show the mass
people's support.

SO - ACT NOW - DON'T LET THE TRUTH BE SILENCED!

Vladimir Krsljanin,
Secretary of ICDSM,
Foreign Relations Assistant to President Milosevic
*************************************************************
Please send us your donations and engage in organizing fundraising.
*************************************************************
You can find detailed instructions at:
http://www.icdsm.org/battle.htm
(please also follow the links therein) or
*************************************************************
You can make transfers to ICDSM accounts in Europe:

Peter Betscher
Stadt- und Kreissparkasse Darmstadt, Germany
IBAN: DE 21 5085 0150 0102 1441 63
SWIFT-BIC: HELADEF1DAS

or

Vereinigung f=FCr Internationale Solidarit=E4t (VIS)
4000 Basel, Switzerland
PC 40-493646-5
*************************************************************

*************************************************************
THE ILLEGAL HAGUE PROCESS MUST END.
Statement by the President of the World Peace Council Orlando Fundora (Cu=
ba)
http://www.icdsm.org/more/fundora.htm
*************************************************************
*************************************************************

VIDOVDAN PEOPLE'S RALLY IN BELGRADE ORGANIZED BY SLOBODA
to mark the third anniversary of kidnapping of President Milosevic
http://www.icdsm.org/more/galery2806.htm
**************************************************************

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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