THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Sept 17 (Hina) - The UN war crimes tribunal's trial chamber announced on Wednesday that a former Yugoslav president, Slobodan Milosevic, would be given three months to prepare the presentation of evidence for his
defence, which should begin in spring next year.
THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Sept 17 (Hina) - The UN war crimes tribunal's
trial chamber announced on Wednesday that a former Yugoslav
president, Slobodan Milosevic, would be given three months to
prepare the presentation of evidence for his defence, which should
begin in spring next year. #L#
The trial chamber believes that a three-month break of the main
hearing will be quite enough for Milosevic to prepare his defence,
since he has two legal experts at his disposal to assist in his
defence and since he has so far at the trial shown that he possesses
detailed information, explained Judge Richard May, the president
of the trial chamber in the Milosevic case at the UN war crimes
tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.
The chamber ordered the ICTY secretariat to make it possible for the
defendant to meet witnesses and study documents in the offices in
the Sheveningen prisons, allocated to Milosevic for that purpose.
The secretariat has been asked to give logistic support in
preparing and bringing defence witnesses to The Hague.
Milosevic, who previously asked two years of a break and his
temporary release from custody in order to prepare himself for the
defence, harshly protested against the trial chamber's decision,
insisting on its annulment. Judge May said the decision was not a
subject for discussion and would not be changed.
The trial has been lasting for 19 months, and the defendant has been
in custody for 27 months and all this time he could have prepared his
defence, May said adding that it was Milosevic's decision to defend
himself on his own without attorneys and this option should not
bring him advantages.
Under the trial chamber's decision, the defendant should produce a
list of witnesses, the summation of their statements and a list of
evidence material within six weeks after the prosecution wraps up
the presentation of its evidence.
The chamber will subsequently decide on the duration of the defence
presentation of evidence and the final number of defence witnesses,
May said.
The trial of Milosevic, indicted for genocide in Bosnia-
Herzegovina and war crimes in Croatia and Kosovo, commenced on 12
February 2002 when the prosecution began presenting its evidence.
The prosecution announced that it would wrap up this part of the
trial in November of early December this year.
(hina) ms