Let Milosevic have a fair fight

By John Catalinotto

Conquering a new colony, the Roman legions drag the defeated chieftain
back to the Colosseum. They offer a final challenge: "We will bury you
up to your neck in sand and set the lion on you. If you defeat him, you
will be set free."

As the lion leaps on him, the chieftain ducks and then bites the lion in
the groin. The lion bleeds to death. "Now you must free me," he says.

"Not so fast," counters a Legionnaire. "You didn't fight fair."

For those who follow the case of former Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic, this enraging old "joke" hits home. Yugoslavia's imperialist
conquer ors dragged the defeated leader to NATO's court in The Hague,
which spent tens of millions of dollars, prepared for a year, put on 295
prosecution witnesses over two years and proved nothing.

That's the reason most people have probably heard little of what was
supposed to be the "war crimes trial of the century."

Ill much of the time, Milosevic worked with the aid of a handful of
supporters and little money before hostile judges who make up the rules
as they go along. He still demolished the prosecution by exposing
"witnesses" as stool pigeons and war criminals trading lies for
immunity.

Milosevic had only 50 days to prepare his defense. He was set to expose
U.S./NATO war crimes against Yugoslavia. Like the Romans in the story,
the court changed the rules. The illness Milosevic complained of for two
years suddenly became useful to the judges. Instead of giving him time
and care to recover, they now threaten to stop him from representing
himself.

For "fairness," for historic truth, the court must give Milosevic time
off to recover his health, time to prepare his case, and the right to
defend himself in court.

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