U.S.-led powers obstruct Milosevic defense

The U.S.-led alliance of imperialist countries that attacked Yugoslavia has sunk to new depths in its attempts to cover up this crime. It is trying to manipulate the trial of former Yugoslav President Slobo dan Milosevic at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, Netherlands.

During this trial, now over four years old, the prosecution has failed to present anything like a case against Milosevic. In addition, his vigorous defense has exposed the crimes of the imperialist powers, especially the U.S. and Germany, in conspiring to destroy the Yugoslav Socialist Feder ation through subversion and direct military assault.

The latest underhanded maneuvers against Milosevic include (1) using the European states to prevent his collecting even a minimal defense fund to aid in the preparation of and publicity for his case and (2) preventing him from receiving adequate medical care and rest for his serious illnesses, which include extremely high blood pressure.

The German section of the Inter na tional Committee for the Defense of Slobodan Milosevic (ICDSM) has been the most successful in raising funds for one or two researchers and lawyers to help in the president’s defense at The Hague. In mid-July 2005, however, German tax police broke into the private apartment of Peter Betscher, treasurer of the German section of ICDSM. His computer and documents were taken and the bank account with the donations frozen. The German authorities claimed the account had violated European Commission Regulation 2488/2000, which freezes Milosevic’s personal funds.

A similar seizure 18 months earlier had been overturned by German courts. But this didn’t stop the authorities from seizing the funds again and fining Betscher 11,465 euros ($13,688). The defense group then moved the account to Vienna, but the Bank of Austria also froze the defense funds in early February. The ICDSM is challenging the seizure in the courts.

Last November a consortium of international doctors recommended extended rest for Milosevic and ample time to prepare his defense without endangering his health. The court granted only six weeks’ rest, to coincide with the Christmas break.

In a statement made Nov. 29, 2005, exposing the duplicity of the court in this matter, Milosevic made it clear to British judge Ian Bonomy what he thought of the tribunal: “This entire court was envisaged as an instrument of war against my country. It was founded illegally on the basis of an illegal decision and carried through by the forces that waged war against my country. There is just one thing that is true here: It is true that there is a joint criminal enterprise, but not in Belgrade, not in Yugoslavia as its center, but those, who, in a war that was waged in Yugoslavia from 1991 onwards, destroyed Yugoslavia.”