THE DUTCH PRESS REACTS TO SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC
FREEDOM CENTER'S ACTIONS AGAINST KAY
Press Excerpts - October 12/13, 2004
MILOSEVIC TRIAL RESUMED
NRC Handelsblad (Excerpt) - October 13, 2004
...the Dutch lawyer of Milosevic Nico Steijnen announced that his client will
file a complaint with the Dutch Bar Association against Kay. The complaint
concerns, according to Steijnen, the breach upon the 'fundamental right' of
Milosevic to conduct his own defence. Steijnen finds that Milosevic 'has
defended himself in a brilliant way', since the process started on February 12,
2002. 'By his performance Milosevic has brought to panic the judges and
prosecutors', Steijnen stated. This is 'the real reason for stripping my client
from his right to defend himself''.
MUJEHADDIEN FOUGHT AT THE SIDE OF UCK;
PROCESS AGAINST MILOSEVIC RESUMED AFTER A MONTH
Trouw (Excerpts) - October 12, 2004
AMSTERDAM - After a adjournment during a month yesterday before the
Yugoslav-tribunal the process against Slobodan Milosevic has been resumed with
the evidence of the German research journalist Franz-Josef Hutsch.
He was interrogated by Steven Kay, the British who, strongly against the will of
Milosevic, was assigned to defend the former Serbian president.
Hutsch told inter alia about the time he passed in 1998/1999 with the Kosovar
Liberation army (UCK). He stated that tens of foreign mudjehaddien, from among
others Algeria and Saudi-Arabia fought alongside with the Albanian Kosovars. He
also declared that the UCK was involved in drugs trafficking and slave trade .
According to Hutsch the UCK tried to manipulate by all sorts of ways western
media. So internal displaced Kosovars were kept detained under terrible
conditions in the mountains, where the were showed to western journalists.
(Passage Omitted)
The testimony of Hutsch was the first session in the Milosevic trial after
nearly an month.
Some weeks ago the judges decided to assign counsel to Milosevic due to the bad
health condition of the former Serbian president. Physicians didn't hold him
able to defend himself. The judges found Steven Kay prepared to act as counsel.
Kay before has performed the task of amicus curiae in order to guarantee a fair
trial.
Milosevic disagrees with the decision to deny him further opportunity to defend
himself and refuses to communicate with Kay. Who got immediately problems with
the calling of witnesses; many persons who were sought by Milosevic, don't want
to be interrogated by Kay. This resulted eventually in the fact that, though the
assignment of counsel was meant to make the process more expeditious, the
process must be stopped in order to provide the opportunity to Kay to find a new
strategy.
Simultaneously Kay appealed against his own assignment.
The appeal is still pending, but nevertheless the process yesterday proceeded.
Kay says he could still 'go ahead' with witnesses. However, Serbian media
yesterday stated that from the around 100 potential witnesses who has been
approached by Kay, the very majority would refuse to come.
Yesterday Milosevic's Dutch lawyer, Mr. Nico Steijnen, announced that Milosevic
files a complaint with the Bar Association against Kay. The complaint concerns
the breach upon the 'fundamental right' of Milosevic to conduct his own defence,
Steijnen stated."
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