Russia requests UN info on Hague Tribunal prisoners conditions

Russia requests UN info on Hague Tribunal prisoners conditions
ITAR-TASS News Agency - March 21, 2006, Tuesday 08:49 PM EST

By: Vladimir Kikilo

UNITED NATIONS, March 22 - Russia has requested from the United Nations Secretariat information about the conditions of keeping inmates in the pre-trial detention centre of the International war crimes tribunal for former Yugoslavia in The Hague. Itar-Tass learnt at the Russian permanent mission to the UN that Russia has also requested information about the progress of internal investigation of the circumstances and causes of recent death in the Hague prison of former President of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic.

The inquiry has been made in connection with several recent deaths of persons accused by the Hague Tribunal. Former leader of Croatian Serbs Milan Babic, 50, was found dead in his cell on March 6. According to the Dutch authorities, Babic committed suicide.

Another leader of Croatian Serbs Slavko Dokmanovic also committed suicide in 1998 and former mayor of Prijedor Milan Kovacevic also died of aortic rupture in the prison in August of the same year. According to statements of his relatives, Kovacevic died because he was refused emergency medical aid.

A total of 11 people accused by the International war crimes tribunal for former Yugoslavia in The Hague have died since April 1997, and four of them - before their extradition to the tribunal.