Moscow, September 12th, 2003
Around 30 MPs of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, from
several parliamentary factions, have signed today a joint communiqu�,
reacting in strongest terms to the violation of the fundamental rights of
President Milosevic at The Hague and fully endorsing his request for a
two-years break of the process, combined with his release from detention.
Among the signatories are Gennadi Zyuganov, head of the
Communist Faction, the most numerous in Duma, Nikolai Charitonov, head of
Agroindustrial Faction, Nikolai Rizhkov, former Soviet Prime Minister and
chairman of the Duma Commission for Yugoslavia, general Andrei Nikolaev,
chairman of the Duma Committee for Defense and several other chairmen and
vice-chairmen of various Duma committees.
The Communiqu� states that the indictment against President
Milosevic already totally collapsed, in spite the enormous resources used to
prepare it. If now President Milosevic would not be provided with adequate
conditions to prepare his case and if the visit ban and other forms of
pressure, lack of medical care in particular, continue, it would be a
definitive confirmation that political harassment which goes on at The Hague
has nothing in common with judiciary, is the conclusion of the Communiqu�.
Since the autumn session of the State Duma has not been started
yet, the important Russian MPs decided to appear with this public statement,
considering it urgent to react to last week's developments at the Tribunal,
when judges stated that they might determine conditions for preparation of
President Milosevic's case which would be far below the necessary minimum.
Signatures for the Joint Communiqu� are still being collected.
Below we give the full text of the statement of the Russian MPs.
SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC HAS TO OBTAIN TIME AND CONDITIONS NECESSARY TO PREPARE
HIS DEFENSE
- Joint Communiqu� -
The process against the former President of the Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic is lasting for almost two years already.
During all that time, after they have submitted mountains of suspicious
documents, brought hundreds of false witnesses and spent hundreds of
millions of dollars from the UN budget, the prosecutors of the International
Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) haven't succeeded to show
any evidence of guilt of the Serbian leader for the alleged crimes.
The Prosecution undergoes a total fiasco. Soon, the phase of
defense of Slobodan Milosevic (who was until now allowed only to
cross-examine witnesses of the Prosecution) should start.
Slobodan Milosevic has numerous and convincing confirmations of
his innocence. Nevertheless, the organization of the defense requires
serious preparations. The indictment against Slobodan Milosevic has been
prepared for more than four years with participation of hundreds of ICTY
employees. Slobodan Milosevic presents his own defense in person and alone.
For preparation of his defense he has the right to use the same amount of
time as the ICTY prosecutors spent preparing the indictment.
"Equality of arms", in fact of conditions for defense and
prosecution is one of the fundamental norms of International Law, guaranteed
by many documents, including the European Convention on human rights. And
that assumes the right for adequate time and necessary conditions for the
preparation of defense.
We condemn the recent decision of the ICTY to ban visits with
Slobodan Milosevic by the members of the Socialist Party of Serbia and
"Sloboda (Freedom)" Association, the committee for his support. The aim of
this decision is to strengthen the isolation of President Milosevic. This is
obviously a dangerous measure of moral and psychological pressure against a
political prisoner.
Slobodan Milosevic has to have the possibility to conduct his
defense not from the prison cell, but from freedom. Otherwise, an adequate
preparation for defense is impossible.
At the same time, he has to have the possibility to recuperate
his health, seriously damaged by the several years of imprisonment, by the
exhausting court process and by the lack of qualified medical assistance. We
are deeply worried by the fact that Slobodan Milosevic is still deprived of
qualified medical care. That creates a real threat to his life.
Taking all the above-mentioned into account, and also
considering the seriousness and the broadness of the accusations, we demand
a break in the process against Slobodan Milosevic, lasting at least two
years. We also demand his immediate release and return to Belgrade in order
to recuperate his health. The persecution of his family has to cease.
Without fulfilling these demands, the process against Slobodan
Milosevic will remain an open political harassment, having nothing in common
with judiciary.
SLOBODA urgently needs your donation.
Please find the detailed instructions at:
http://www.sloboda.org.yu/pomoc.htm
To join or help this struggle, visit:
http://www.sloboda.org.yu/ (Sloboda/Freedom association)
http://www.icdsm.org/ (the international committee to defend Slobodan
Milosevic)
http://www.free-slobo.de/ (German section of ICDSM)
http://www.icdsmireland.org/ (ICDSM Ireland)
http://www.wpc-in.org/ (world peace council)
http://www.geocities.com/b_antinato/ (Balkan antiNATO center)
Serbian News Network - SNN
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http://www.antic.org/
