Complaints Filed Against Steven Kay and Dr. Van Dijkman

Slobodan Milosevic Freedom Center The Hague [Press Release] - October 13, 2004


The Hague, October 12, 2004 - Slobodan Milosevic Freedom Center The Hague held its first press conference today. It was attended by Nico Varkevisser (spokesman) and Nico Steijnen (lawyer).
 

The Milosevic Freedom Center was recently established due to the absolute need of President Milosevic to have an organization in The Netherlands to help him with his struggle against the so-called tribunal it its false indictments. 
 

The need for such an organization is more urgent now than ever. The tribunal has denied President Milosevic the fundamental right to lead his own defense. They have imposed a lawyer, Mr. Steven Kay from the UK on him against his will, and as a consequence Milosevic can no longer speak without the approval of the so-called judges. The first examinations by Mr. Kay clearly show that the tribunal's aim is to avoid fundamental issues. His conduct shows what the tribunal wants: a cosmetic questioning of the witnesses to give the appearance of a real trial, while leaving important issues untouched. President Milosevic only has what he has described during the proceedings as, "scraps of his fundamental rights".   
 

Given the present situation, President Milosevic needs this organization to inform the media and the public about what is happening in this so-called trial, and to expose the lies and distortions about what happened in the former Yugoslavia.
 

The Milosevic Freedom Center considers this one of its major tasks, and seeks close co-operation with the media and all people who share concern for the violations of justice and truth at the so-called tribunal. We will provide relevant facts and documents, in order to make the public aware of the real nature of this so-called tribunal, and the objectives of its masters. This material will be made available for the media and the general public on our website: 
 

http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/hague.htm
 

On instructions from President Milosevic, the Milosevic Freedom Center will undertake action in the Dutch and the international legal courts and institutions to defend his fundamental rights, and secure his release from prison.  
 

The first step will be against Mr. Steven Kay. By acting as a lawyer against the will of President Milosevic, he is violating one the most fundamental principles that lawyers are bound to: not to represent clients against their will. Nico Steijnen has filed a complaint before the disciplinary court of the Dutch Bar Association on President Milosevic's behalf.
 

Mr. Steijnen argued that there are good grounds for this complaint to be admitted, given the judgment of the Dutch Bar Association and the court of appeals in the case of the former amicus curiae, Wladimirov. Mr. Wladimirov was rebuked for his statements in the press when he declared that Milosevic will be condemned, no matter what happened. The board and the court limited them selves to verbally rebuking Wladimirov, rather than punishing him, since he did not appear as the lawyer of Milosevic, but only as amicus curiae.  
 

Steven Kay, on the other hand, is clearly presenting himself as Milosevic's lawyer. Although he has made a formal appeal against his own appointment before the Appeal’s Chamber of the tribunal; in The London Times on September 21 he says: "My duty is to act in his best interests, I will do the job as best I can." 
 

He also said: "We want to show that we mean business, so the word goes out to other witnesses that we are here, and want to call them for the defense. Now I just have to point myself in the right direction and start moving. It's a very English phrase, but you just have to get on with it." 
 

Another aspect to be taken into account is the fact that European lawyers are standardized, meaning that foreign lawyers operating in the Netherlands are bound to the regulations of the Dutch Bar Association. Since the tribunal is not acting on extra territorial ground, but on Dutch soil, Kay is bound by the rules of the Dutch Bar Association. 
 

President Milosevic has also filed a complaint before the Dutch medical disciplinary board against Dr. Van Dijkman, a physician who was appointed by the so-called tribunal to examine him. In his report van Dijkman writes:  "Milosevic is not able to lead his own defense".  
 

That is an astonishing assessment. As a doctor he can express an opinion about the physical condition of President Milosevic, but not that he is unable lead his own defense.  
 

The decision to impose a lawyer on President Milosevic was based on a medical examination in July of this year. Milosevic’s request for a new examination by doctors of his own choice, from Greece, Serbia and Russia, was denied by the tribunal. Rumors about imposing a lawyer on Milosevic started immediately after a visit to the tribunal by former US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright. 
 

It is expected that the disciplinary boards will need several months to come to a conclusion.
 


Related Legal Documents:

1. Complaint Files Against Mr. Kay with Dutch Bar
(Document in Dutch language)

2. Complaint Filed Against Dr. Van Dijkman with Dutch Medical Disciplinary Board (Document in Dutch language)

 


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