HAGUE "TRIBUNAL" BANS PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC FROM SPEAKING TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD
www.slobodan-milosevic.org - December 12, 2003

The Hague Tribunal has made a decision to essentially cut President Milosevic off from the outside world because he made a speech which allegedly threatened peace and security in the Former Yugoslavia.

President Milosevic's speech did not threaten anybody's peace and security. This communication ban that the so-called "tribunal" has imposed comes at an interesting time. It comes right before Wesley Clark is due to testify.

Under the decision the following restrictions will be imposed on President Milosevic by the registrar of the ICTY:

(i) Prohibit communication, via telephone between the Accused with any person(s) (particularly with the media), such prohibition shall not apply to telephone communication with his immediate family, legal counsel (where applicable), diplomatic or consular representatives on condition that this facility shall not be used in any manner to contact the media;

(ii) All authorised telephone conversations, except for communications with recognised legal representatives (if any) and diplomatic or consular representatives, shall be monitored, in accordance with current Detention Unit practices;

(iii) Prohibit all visits between the Accused with any person(s) (particularly with the media), such prohibition shall not apply to visits with his immediate family, legal counsel (where applicable), diplomatic or consular representatives;

(iv) All authorised visits shall be supervised by the Commanding Officer of the Detention Unit or an official he designates.

(v) The aforesaid restrictions will not apply to written communications wherein the current practices shall be maintained and the Detention Unit’s regulations concerning the import and export of mail shall be adhered to.

See how afraid this so-called "tribunal" is. Look at how keen they are to control the information that the media gets. The prosecutor is allowed to speak to the media, in fact the ICTY provides facilities that the prosecutor can use to call press conferences. But, the person who is being accused by the "tribunal" can't even use the telephone if it is thought that a reporter could hear about the contents of the telephone conversation. 

The Hague "tribunal" regularly conducts closed-door hearings, in spite of President Milosevic's vehement objections. They also conceal the identity of many of their witnesses. According to an ICTY press release dated December 2, 2003 only 60% of ICTY witnesses testify openly, which means that 40% of the witnesses are heard behind closed doors, or else their identity is kept a secret.

The witnesses don't even write their own witness statements. The prosecutor writes them, and then turns around and submits their version of what the witness said as "evidence" under their Rule 89(F). As if that wasn't bad enough President Milosevic isn't even allowed to cross-examine all of the witnesses who's testimony is being used against him. Under Rule 92-bis testimony from other "trials" can be used against him, and he has no right to cross-examine.

Now with Wesley Clark the so-called "tribunal" has decided that President Milosevic must apply to the American Government in advance about which topics and questions he will ask. The testimony will take place behind closed doors, out of the public view. After Clark testifies the U.S. Government will get 48 hours to redact the transcripts and edit the video of the testimony, and only then will the public be allowed to see what went on. Unfortunately, it will only be the version of events that the U.S. Government censors allow you to see.

It is beyond belief that anybody could take the verdicts of the Hague Tribunal seriously. The Hague Tribunal is a kangaroo court. The sole purpose of the Hague Tribunal is to retroactively legitimize Western aggression against Yugoslavia, and to silence the voice of anybody who is in a position to expose the nature of that aggression.

The ICTY is a propaganda tool that acts on the whims of bureaucrats in Washington and Brussels. The "trials" are conducted in a secretive manner because the verdicts are pre-fabricated to meet the propaganda needs of NATO. The information coming out of the "tribunal" is strictly controlled so that only the prosecutor's voice is heard by the public. God forbid that some reporter, after speaking with someone who is on "trial", would report something that was unfriendly to the propaganda goals of NATO. That right there is why it is so important to the "tribunal" that persons who are on "trial" not be allowed to speak to the media.

This decision to restrict President Milosevic's ability to communicate with the outside world has nothing to do with any concern for the peace and security of the former Yugoslavia, and everything to do with NATO's desire to manipulate the public and hide the truth about their criminal aggression against Yugoslavia.

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