THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Feb 27 (Hina) - Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic on Wednesday objected before the Hague-based war crimes tribunal Trial Chamber for allowing the prosecution to prove his alleged crimes with the help of
witnesses "who falsely testify". "Even Osama bin Laden could bring in so many witnesses ... who personally saw George Bush throwing bombs and grenades on Pentagon and the White House," Milosevic said at the beginning of the 11th day of trial against him for crimes in Kosovo, Bosnia and Croatia. He said witness testimonies could not annul something "the entire world saw" -- both NATO's shelling and the "terrorism" of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). He once again requested that he be released from detention. Trial Chamber president Richard may said his motion would be considered. "You know very well that the basic right ... is the right to a defence. Being isolated, I am deprived o
THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, Feb 27 (Hina) - Former Yugoslav president
Slobodan Milosevic on Wednesday objected before the Hague-based
war crimes tribunal Trial Chamber for allowing the prosecution to
prove his alleged crimes with the help of witnesses "who falsely
testify".
"Even Osama bin Laden could bring in so many witnesses ... who
personally saw George Bush throwing bombs and grenades on Pentagon
and the White House," Milosevic said at the beginning of the 11th
day of trial against him for crimes in Kosovo, Bosnia and Croatia.
He said witness testimonies could not annul something "the entire
world saw" -- both NATO's shelling and the "terrorism" of the Kosovo
Liberation Army (KLA).
He once again requested that he be released from detention. Trial
Chamber president Richard may said his motion would be considered.
"You know very well that the basic right ... is the right to a
defence. Being isolated, I am deprived of it," Milosevic said,
adding that under such circumstances, "one cannot speak about a
fair trial and equality of sides".
Milosevic was interrupted in saying he would not escape "from this
place of power and injustice" by Judge May, who said the Trial
Chamber was not impressed with political arguments.
The trial continued with the testimony of Kosovo Albanian Besnik
Sokoli from Pec, a 25-year-old translator who testified about
Serbian sides organising the deportation of several dozen thousand
residents from a refugee centre in Pec in March 1999 after they
burnt or destroyed some houses in the town, and killed some of the
residents.
He described how the residents were taken to Prizren by buses, some
of them beaten up, and then sent by foot 15 kilometres to the border
with Albania, where the police took away their documents before
they crossed the border.
The deportation of about 800,000 Kosovo Albanians is the first item
of the Kosovo indictment charging Milosevic with crimes against
humanity.
The prosecution is bringing out witnesses to prove the crimes in
Kosovo did happen, after which follow witnesses and evidence to
connect Milosevic to the crimes.
Milosevic asserted several times that the crimes never happened or
were fabricated, that is, committed by NATO or the KLA.
(hina) lml