Milosevic's death, Saddam case show need to streamline trials of ousted rulers by Robert H. Reid
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - Slobodan Milosevic's death and the chaotic prosecution of Saddam Hussein underscore the need to streamline trials of ousted rulers to prevent them from stalling the proceedings and rallying their followers. Milosevic, who was found dead in his cell Saturday, had been on trial before the UN court in The Hague since February 2002 on 66 counts of crimes, including genocide, allegedly committed during the Balkans wars of the previous decade.
By comparison, the Allied tribunal at Nuremberg took less than a year to try, convict, sentence and hang the 10 top Nazi defendants following the Second World War. With Milosevic, however, the prosecution decision to file such a large number of charges all but guaranteed a slow, ponderous trial, experts say. The court's decision to let Milosevic handle his own defence worsened the defendant's health and brought even more delays. Unlike the Nazis, who documented their crimes, Milosevic was careful not to leave a paper trail. Decisions were taken among a small circle of top officials, requiring the prosecution to find witnesses from a select group. The prosecution's star witness, former Croatian Serb leader Milan Babic, committed suicide last week in the same prison.
In an interview Saturday with the British Broadcasting Corp., David Owen, a former Balkan peace envoy, cited the Sadam Iraqi formula, saying fewer charges should have been filed against Milosevic in the interest of a speedy trial. "If we'd had a much shorter trial and verdict, the world would be much happier about the whole process," Owen said.
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