ZAGREB, April 19 (Hina) - The prosecution in the Kosovo trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic before the Hague was crimes tribunal on Friday began with a new procedure of quick-questioning witnesses in an attempt to
gain time after the tribunal's trial chamber limited the total time in which to present evidence to 14 months.
ZAGREB, April 19 (Hina) - The prosecution in the Kosovo trial of
former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic before the Hague was
crimes tribunal on Friday began with a new procedure of quick-
questioning witnesses in an attempt to gain time after the
tribunal's trial chamber limited the total time in which to present
evidence to 14 months. #L#
Instead of questioning witnesses, the prosecution will use
statements previously given by witnesses as evidence. During the
actual court proceedings the prosecution will give a brief outline
of the statements presented. The time allowed for cross-
examination, which is done by Milosevic, has not been limited.
The prosecution estimates that the new procedure could allow for
three witnesses each day. These are mostly witnesses who will
testify and prove that crimes did actually occur, because Milosevic
claims that they did not happen, or rather, that they were
fabricated, such as the massacre of 45 Albanians in Racak village in
January 1999, or were in fact committed by NATO or the Kosovo
Liberation Army.
The first witness to testify according to the new procedure was
Albanian teacher Xhafer Beqiraj from Prizren, who described the
expulsion of his family on the first night of the NATO air raids in
March 1999. Serb police forces and the army expelled residents from
villages around Prizren and then deported them to the border with
Albania, where all their documents were confiscated so that later
they were not able to prove their Yugoslav citizenship and as such
have the right to return to Kosovo.
After a five-minute summary by the prosecution of the witness's
testimony, Milosevic commenced his cross-examination and
ironically asked whether he was now supposed to put his questions to
the witness or the prosecution who he said "testified instead of the
witness".
Milosevic is charged with genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina and
crimes against humanity in Croatia and Kosovo. The Kosovo section
of the trial is currently under way and should be completed before
the summer break. Milosevic is charged with the deportation of
800,000 Kosovo Albanians in the first half of 1999.
(hina) sp sb