The petition was sent to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and other senior officials of the world body and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on July 29. Lawyers, jurists and law professors may join it by sending their data on the e-mail address slobodavk@yubc.net.
Former U.S. state prosecutor Ramsey Clark, a member of the ICDSM, told a news conference in New York on Tuesday the petition was an appeal made by 90 legal experts from 17 countries.
In the petition, the ICDSM expresses its concern over the fact that the ICTY is preparing to impose counsel for Milosevic contrary to the defendant's will, which the petition says is a "punitive measure contrary to international law".
The Hague-based ICTY is accused of aggravating Milosevic's health by persistently refusing his requests for provisional release, by imposing "unrealistically short preparation periods on the defence", and by permitting "the introduction of an inordinate quantity of Prosecution evidence, much of which was bereft of probative value".
The petition cites cardiologists' findings, saying the three factors listed above increase the level of stress as the principal trigger of the defendant's illness.
The ICDSM says the imposition of counsel could further aggravate Milosevic's condition, and cautions the ICTY and the Security Council they will be responsible if their moves end up having tragic consequences.
The petition cites a number of legal examples indicating that a defendant's right to defend him/herself in person is one of the fundamental civil rights which is guaranteed by the statutes of the ICTY and the International Criminal Court as well as by international conventions.
The petition says that Milosevic, who is charged with 66 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo between 1991 and 1999, has a law degree, that he does not recognise and criticises the ICTY, and that he is capable of presenting his defence despite being ill.
The ICDSM even cites the example of former South African President Nelson Mandela, who defended himself during the Rivonia trials in the 1960s.
Among the 90 signatories to the petition are some 20 lawyers and professors from Serbia as well as other known supporters of Milosevic's policy. The ICDSM, which is chaired by Bulgaria's Velko Valkanov, has made similar appeals in the past but they received only media attention.
Due to Milosevic's heart problems and high blood pressure, his two-year trial has already been adjourned 12 times. His presentation of defence was adjourned twice in July and is now set to begin on August 31.
In order to make sure that the trial ends within a reasonable time, the trial chamber presided by Judge Patrick Robinson has announced the possibility of imposing counsel and separating proceedings for war crimes in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo.
Of 103 defendants who have appeared before the ICTY, only Milosevic and Vojislav Seselj have refused counsel. An ad hoc counsel has been appointed for Seselj to follow proceedings and intervene if necessary. A similar solution may be expected in the Milosevic case.