Velko Valkanov: They Killed Milošević

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At the beginning they made him stand trial before an entirely unlawful court, established in flagrant violation of the elementary norms of International law. This unlawful court proceeded in an unlawful way. It has violated unscrupulously basic principles of criminal jurisdiction providing all possible rights to the prosecution and limited by all possible means the rights of the defender. It is a court that has been an entirely inconsistent with the idea of jurisdiction because it was trying a preliminary convicted man.

 MILOSHEVIĈ was really guilty. The great guilt of defying the dictate of the US and NATO lies with him alone. He preserves his own dignity and the dignity of his homeland. He failed to stop the disruption of the Federation within which there lived peacefully and harmoniously several peoples for a number of decades. But he prevented Serbia to be occupied. He knew what he was supposed to expect but nevertheless he preferred as the poet says “to fall forward on his face rather than on his knees”.

 Then they killed him. In the run of four long years they failed to find any evidence in support of the accusations they had raised against him. They were afraid of arranging a sort of guilty verdict because their false jurisdiction would have become evident. And they have come up with an unprecedented treachery – leaving him to die after failing to provide him with health care. The most prestigious healing cardiovascular center in Moscow declared its readiness to accept MILOSHEVIĈ for treatment. The government of the Russian Federation has provided the necessary guarantees that after the treatment is over MILOSHEVIĈ will be brought back to The Hague. Nothing has moved them! They were slaw because expected exactly this fatal outcome. Facing their own censure they preferred to witness his death.

 We did expect it too. In a number of articles and letters sent to The Hague Tribunal people were warning about the upcoming outcome of this dirty trial. In an article published in the Bulgarian magazine “NOVO VREME” (New Time), Number 5 of 2005 I explicitly wrote: “I allow myself the sin to think that those engaged with the Hague Tribunal may be seeking for an out-of- court outcome of this unqualified trial. A heart attach of the defender could have saved them from the impasse in which they found themselves – not to be able to convict Slobodan MILOSHEVIĈ but at the same time not to be able to allow themselves to acquit him.” And only two days ago Ramsey Clark, Alexander ZINOVIEV, myself and other members of the International Committee for Defense of MILOSHEVIĈ sent a letter to the UN Security Council persistently pointing out onto threatening him deadly danger. However the death has overtaken us. Facing the wall of apathy, hypocrisy, ruthlessness we turned out to be powerless.

 MILOSHEVIĈ died. But since this day MILOSHEVIĈ is starting a new life – the life of a National Hero of Serbia, and in my view not only of Serbia.

 And for the killers, for these who turned The Hague Tribunal into a morgue as well as for those who stand behind them one day there will come the hour of vengeance. No murder, especially such a treacherous murder may remain unpunished.