Full Version: BREAKING NEWS
Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has died in The Hague, radio reports and his lawyer says.
Steven Kay, Mr Milosevic's lawyer, told BBC News 24 that he had been found dead in his cell on Saturday morning.
Mr Milosevic, 64, has been on trial at the UN war crimes tribunal for genocide and other war crimes.
The tribunal last month rejected a request by Mr Milosevic to go to Russia for medical treatment. He had high blood pressure and a heart condition.
Good to see lots of response to this. 
Milosevic dead: Reaction
Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has died in the detention centre at The Hague tribunal.
Here is some of the reaction to the news from the former Yugoslavia and around the world:
HAJRA CATIC, ASSOCIATION OF SREBRENICA MOTHERS
It is a pity that we will not see him facing justice, that we will not hear the verdict. However, it seems that God punished him already.
BORISLAV MILOSEVIC, SLOBODAN'S BROTHER
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia bears full responsibility for this.
Three months ago he asked to go to Moscow for treatment. This whole circus of the court in The Hague is terrible. It's criminal.
LORD PADDY ASHDOWN, EX-HIGH REPRESENTATIVE TO BOSNIA
I suppose those of us who would have wished to see justice rather than death be delivered to Milosevic will regret the fact that the justice process is halted.
There is no doubt that of the evil that stalked the Balkans for the best part of a decade one way or another, one of the primary authors was Slobodan Milosevic.
JAVIER SOLANA, EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF
I hope very much this event, the death of Milosevic will help Serbia to look definitely to the future.
NICO VARKEVISSER, SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC FREEDOM CENTRE
It is clear that they have killed him.
This is an outrage. Milosevic was kidnapped from Belgrade and illegally extradited.
The real culprits, murderers and killers are in Brussels and in The Hague.
NICHOLAS WHYTE, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP
This is the end of a long and very sad chapter in European history.
His death is in nobody's interests except, perhaps, in a weird kind of way, his own.
IVICA DACIC, SOCIALIST PARTY OF SERBIA
He was systematically killed by all the years he spent in The Hague and this is a great loss for Serbia, the Serbian people and the Socialist Party of Serbia.
It is of major importance for the future of our country that through his defence and the fact he died without being convicted, Milosevic had managed to defend national and state interest.
VUK DRASKOVIC, SERBIA-MONTENEGRO FOREIGN MINISTER
Milosevic organised many many assassinations of people of my party, of people of my family... He ordered a few times assassination attempts against my life.
What can I say? I can say it's a pity he didn't face justice in Belgrade.
PHILIPPE DOUSTE-BLAZY, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER
With the death of Milosevic, one of the main actors if not the main actor in the Balkan wars of the late 20th Century has left the scene.
I would like to spare a thought for all those who suffered so much from ethnic cleansing, tens of thousands of men, women and children, which Milosevic conceived and planned.
JACK STRAW, UK FOREIGN SECRETARY
What is important is that the region, the people of Serbia, now draw a line across Milosevic's past and his life, which was a malign influence on the people of Serbia and the whole region
RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY STATEMENT
Slobodan Milosevic had asked to be treated in Russia because of the deterioration of his state of health.
Russian doctors were prepared to give him the necessary aid... Unfortunately, in spite of our guarantees, the tribunal did not agree to give Slobodan Milosevic the possibility of being treated in Russia.
LUFI HAZIRI, KOSOVO DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Unfortunately, he did not face justice for crimes he has committed in Kosovo as well.
STEVEN KAY, MILOSEVIC'S COURT-APPOINTED LAWYER
He has a history of suicide in his family - both his parents - but as far as he was concerned, his attitude to me was quite the opposite from that. He was determined to keep fighting his case.
URSULA PLASSNIK, AUSTRIAN PRESIDENCY OF EU
This does not change or alter in any way the need to come to terms with the past, with the legacy of which Slobodan Milosevic has been a part.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/worl...ope/4796704.stm
Milosevic dead: Reaction
Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has died in the detention centre at The Hague tribunal.
Here is some of the reaction to the news from the former Yugoslavia and around the world:
HAJRA CATIC, ASSOCIATION OF SREBRENICA MOTHERS
It is a pity that we will not see him facing justice, that we will not hear the verdict. However, it seems that God punished him already.
BORISLAV MILOSEVIC, SLOBODAN'S BROTHER
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia bears full responsibility for this.
Three months ago he asked to go to Moscow for treatment. This whole circus of the court in The Hague is terrible. It's criminal.
LORD PADDY ASHDOWN, EX-HIGH REPRESENTATIVE TO BOSNIA
I suppose those of us who would have wished to see justice rather than death be delivered to Milosevic will regret the fact that the justice process is halted.
There is no doubt that of the evil that stalked the Balkans for the best part of a decade one way or another, one of the primary authors was Slobodan Milosevic.
JAVIER SOLANA, EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF
I hope very much this event, the death of Milosevic will help Serbia to look definitely to the future.
NICO VARKEVISSER, SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC FREEDOM CENTRE
It is clear that they have killed him.
This is an outrage. Milosevic was kidnapped from Belgrade and illegally extradited.
The real culprits, murderers and killers are in Brussels and in The Hague.
NICHOLAS WHYTE, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP
This is the end of a long and very sad chapter in European history.
His death is in nobody's interests except, perhaps, in a weird kind of way, his own.
IVICA DACIC, SOCIALIST PARTY OF SERBIA
He was systematically killed by all the years he spent in The Hague and this is a great loss for Serbia, the Serbian people and the Socialist Party of Serbia.
It is of major importance for the future of our country that through his defence and the fact he died without being convicted, Milosevic had managed to defend national and state interest.
VUK DRASKOVIC, SERBIA-MONTENEGRO FOREIGN MINISTER
Milosevic organised many many assassinations of people of my party, of people of my family... He ordered a few times assassination attempts against my life.
What can I say? I can say it's a pity he didn't face justice in Belgrade.
PHILIPPE DOUSTE-BLAZY, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER
With the death of Milosevic, one of the main actors if not the main actor in the Balkan wars of the late 20th Century has left the scene.
I would like to spare a thought for all those who suffered so much from ethnic cleansing, tens of thousands of men, women and children, which Milosevic conceived and planned.
JACK STRAW, UK FOREIGN SECRETARY
What is important is that the region, the people of Serbia, now draw a line across Milosevic's past and his life, which was a malign influence on the people of Serbia and the whole region
RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY STATEMENT
Slobodan Milosevic had asked to be treated in Russia because of the deterioration of his state of health.
Russian doctors were prepared to give him the necessary aid... Unfortunately, in spite of our guarantees, the tribunal did not agree to give Slobodan Milosevic the possibility of being treated in Russia.
LUFI HAZIRI, KOSOVO DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Unfortunately, he did not face justice for crimes he has committed in Kosovo as well.
STEVEN KAY, MILOSEVIC'S COURT-APPOINTED LAWYER
He has a history of suicide in his family - both his parents - but as far as he was concerned, his attitude to me was quite the opposite from that. He was determined to keep fighting his case.
URSULA PLASSNIK, AUSTRIAN PRESIDENCY OF EU
This does not change or alter in any way the need to come to terms with the past, with the legacy of which Slobodan Milosevic has been a part.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/worl...ope/4796704.stm
response?
he was already dead to me.
he was already dead to me.
I was wondering if anyone shared the kinds of opinions being discussed at the BBC Have Your Say section
The biggest war criminal of the former Yugoslavia was not Milosevic, but Izetbegovic. It is Izetbegovic who invited Al-Qaeda/islamic terrorists to the region in the early 1990's to start a campaign of terror against non muslims. And all the western leaders fell for the Bosnian muslims playing the role of the victims to perfection.
International justice is a farce, it always has been and likely always will be.
Marcel de Vries, The Hague, Netherlands
Recommended by 39 people
Here was a man who saw his people under threat, promised to defend them from attack [from armed muslim terrorists within the nation's borders] and for that was branded a 'war criminal'. His actions were nowhere near as catastrophic as those of bush/blair, who illegally invaded a sovereign nation that was NOT in the process of harming their people, killed tens of thousands of civillians, etc. So, the question is : when will we see the more deserving war criminals facing justice in the Hague?
j.gomer, uk
Recommended by 36 people
The demonisation of Milosevic by the Western Media in general has been relentless since his arrest by the War Crimes Tribunal. The true causes of the Balkans wars was the illegal succession of the Neo-Fascist Croatia and the war mongering of the Bosnian Muslims. Now, the Tribunal are happy because Milosevic is dead, and is unable to further expose their pathetic (lack of) evidence at the Tribunal.
Andrew Bailey, London, United Kingdom
Recommended by 30 people
MURDER! Reading the comments left by many here show clearly how uninformed and manipulated people are. Two Hundred Thousand war dead qouted on this site, when the factual figure is more then half that. Murder, that is what the so called civilised west has commited in the case of not only Milosevic, but Iraq, Ex-Yugoslavia, and many other places where you show your disgusting faces and attitudes! Milosevic was a hero of freedom, the rest of you need to deplug from your programming!
Jay, Stuttgart
Recommended by 27 people
Unlike most commentators here, I actually took the time and read the transcripts from his Kosovo trial. In my view, he proved his innocence on this count. Now he will never have the chance to do the same on the counts for Bosnia & Croatia.
I recommend to the general public to learn to read before they write, and to learn the facts before they form their oppinion.
Slobo, RIP
Ben, Jakarta
Recommended by 24 people
This is tragic news. Slobodan Milosevic was a committed opponent of nationalism and discrimination, as is evident from his speeches, and was the biggest factor for peace in the Balkans throughout the 1990s. The prosecution failed completely in proving anything, and the defence case, has been refuting all their lies. It is tragic that he has not been able to clear his name while alive. I wonder how the ICTY will view its over-ruling of his doctors' judgements that he needed 6 weeks of rest now...
Harry Hayball, London
Recommended by 23 people
I am sorry for his passing. After years of persecution and one sidedeness, what happened to objective press and judgement? All he did was try and keep Serbia an integral country as had been for Centuries. But for external influences and interests, he was forced to share it. Would any other country had reacted differently if it concerned their own home land integrity.
Alexander sarikas, Nairobi
Recommended by 21 people
if the Yugoslav tragedy had only been so simple as described in the BBC's obituary of Milosevic: a Hollywood scenario of suppressed minorities fighting the evil communist dictator turned nationalist. Sadly, the Yugoslav story was one with many more characters and many more twists to the plot. Milosevic's role will never become completely clear but this would neither have been the case had his show-trial continued.
DD, Switzerland
Recommended by 20 people
The man was protecting his people,& he deserves my deep respect.The only reason the West was trying to discredit him was to say the muslim world "look,we defended you guys in Bosnia and Kosovo,so please don't cause us any more problems in Europe,ok?" In the end Serbs were humiliated whereas muslims’memory is stuck on cartoons &on bunch of idiots in Iraqi prisons.Islam in its present form is the biggest threat to this world peace,& Milosevic was its brave victim.RIP,Slobodan.
TL, Coventry
Recommended by 19 people
QUOTE
A hero! A Patriot who stood up to the World in an effort to stop Islamic fundamentalism. It's Funny how Milosevic was fighting to rid his country of the KLA and other fundamentalist groups that were trained and financed by al-qaeda, while Nato helped them by bombing the serbs, and letting bin-laden roam free in Albania during that time, preaching and paying his hate.
Fools they were and still are. Milosevic was the only one with the balls to do the right thing! HISTORY WILL JUDGE HIM KINDLY!!
Vasili, Montreal
Recommended by 41 people
Fools they were and still are. Milosevic was the only one with the balls to do the right thing! HISTORY WILL JUDGE HIM KINDLY!!
Vasili, Montreal
Recommended by 41 people
QUOTE
The biggest war criminal of the former Yugoslavia was not Milosevic, but Izetbegovic. It is Izetbegovic who invited Al-Qaeda/islamic terrorists to the region in the early 1990's to start a campaign of terror against non muslims. And all the western leaders fell for the Bosnian muslims playing the role of the victims to perfection.
International justice is a farce, it always has been and likely always will be.
Marcel de Vries, The Hague, Netherlands
Recommended by 39 people
QUOTE
Here was a man who saw his people under threat, promised to defend them from attack [from armed muslim terrorists within the nation's borders] and for that was branded a 'war criminal'. His actions were nowhere near as catastrophic as those of bush/blair, who illegally invaded a sovereign nation that was NOT in the process of harming their people, killed tens of thousands of civillians, etc. So, the question is : when will we see the more deserving war criminals facing justice in the Hague?
j.gomer, uk
Recommended by 36 people
QUOTE
The demonisation of Milosevic by the Western Media in general has been relentless since his arrest by the War Crimes Tribunal. The true causes of the Balkans wars was the illegal succession of the Neo-Fascist Croatia and the war mongering of the Bosnian Muslims. Now, the Tribunal are happy because Milosevic is dead, and is unable to further expose their pathetic (lack of) evidence at the Tribunal.
Andrew Bailey, London, United Kingdom
Recommended by 30 people
QUOTE
MURDER! Reading the comments left by many here show clearly how uninformed and manipulated people are. Two Hundred Thousand war dead qouted on this site, when the factual figure is more then half that. Murder, that is what the so called civilised west has commited in the case of not only Milosevic, but Iraq, Ex-Yugoslavia, and many other places where you show your disgusting faces and attitudes! Milosevic was a hero of freedom, the rest of you need to deplug from your programming!
Jay, Stuttgart
Recommended by 27 people
QUOTE
Unlike most commentators here, I actually took the time and read the transcripts from his Kosovo trial. In my view, he proved his innocence on this count. Now he will never have the chance to do the same on the counts for Bosnia & Croatia.
I recommend to the general public to learn to read before they write, and to learn the facts before they form their oppinion.
Slobo, RIP
Ben, Jakarta
Recommended by 24 people
QUOTE
This is tragic news. Slobodan Milosevic was a committed opponent of nationalism and discrimination, as is evident from his speeches, and was the biggest factor for peace in the Balkans throughout the 1990s. The prosecution failed completely in proving anything, and the defence case, has been refuting all their lies. It is tragic that he has not been able to clear his name while alive. I wonder how the ICTY will view its over-ruling of his doctors' judgements that he needed 6 weeks of rest now...
Harry Hayball, London
Recommended by 23 people
QUOTE
I am sorry for his passing. After years of persecution and one sidedeness, what happened to objective press and judgement? All he did was try and keep Serbia an integral country as had been for Centuries. But for external influences and interests, he was forced to share it. Would any other country had reacted differently if it concerned their own home land integrity.
Alexander sarikas, Nairobi
Recommended by 21 people
QUOTE
if the Yugoslav tragedy had only been so simple as described in the BBC's obituary of Milosevic: a Hollywood scenario of suppressed minorities fighting the evil communist dictator turned nationalist. Sadly, the Yugoslav story was one with many more characters and many more twists to the plot. Milosevic's role will never become completely clear but this would neither have been the case had his show-trial continued.
DD, Switzerland
Recommended by 20 people
QUOTE
The man was protecting his people,& he deserves my deep respect.The only reason the West was trying to discredit him was to say the muslim world "look,we defended you guys in Bosnia and Kosovo,so please don't cause us any more problems in Europe,ok?" In the end Serbs were humiliated whereas muslims’memory is stuck on cartoons &on bunch of idiots in Iraqi prisons.Islam in its present form is the biggest threat to this world peace,& Milosevic was its brave victim.RIP,Slobodan.
TL, Coventry
Recommended by 19 people
i don't share any of those pro-Milosevic comments. but, then again, most of my info comes through my Croatian friends.
I don't understand. How long had he been on trial for? 5 years? Did he ever receive an actual sentence?
QUOTE(undo @ Mar 11 2006, 04:57 PM) [snapback]40947[/snapback]
I don't understand. How long had he been on trial for? 5 years? Did he ever receive an actual sentence?
No, they pretty much tried to pin everything that happened in the region on him and had little strong evidence for a lot of it and they never managed to produce anything conclusive. Unlike the Hussein trial where they are trying to pin one incident on him get him convicted with that (Of course some may argue that this is due to the lack of western involvement in the incident in 1982 and won't drag anyone else into it.)
QUOTE
MURDER! Reading the comments left by many here show clearly how uninformed and manipulated people are. Two Hundred Thousand war dead qouted on this site, when the factual figure is more then half that. Murder, that is what the so called civilised west has commited in the case of not only Milosevic, but Iraq, Ex-Yugoslavia, and many other places where you show your disgusting faces and attitudes! Milosevic was a hero of freedom, the rest of you need to deplug from your programming!
Jay, Stuttgart
Recommended by 27 people
Jesus Christ, so because only 100K people died, we're being manipulated? It's a sad world when people call that animal a hero.
QUOTE(DrJimmy @ Mar 11 2006, 12:55 PM) [snapback]40945[/snapback]
i don't share any of those pro-Milosevic comments. but, then again, most of my info comes through my Croatian friends.
Don't let your friends forget their own Milosevic, Franjo Tudjman. I spent several months working at an orphanage after the war in Croatia in a town called Lipik near the Bosnian border. What both Tudjman and Milosevic did to incur the madness that led to the breakup of Yugoslavia is simply, in my opinion, evil. I cannot share a tear for any of them, and I hope they find Mladic and Karadzic and bring them to justice as well.
The sad fact is this, there is always support for people who head a murderous regime. The lives they end is always for a greater good in the eyes of some.
Me, good riddence. I wish more were quicker in joining him.
Cheers,
Janine
Me, good riddence. I wish more were quicker in joining him.
Cheers,
Janine
QUOTE(Janine @ Mar 11 2006, 01:16 PM) [snapback]40993[/snapback]
The sad fact is this, there is always support for people who head a murderous regime. The lives they end is always for a greater good in the eyes of some.
Me, good riddence. I wish more were quicker in joining him.
Cheers,
Janine
I concur.
Yet "5 things" was being posted on between my posts....
I think a lot of americans simply aren't paying attention to his trial and even know much about the background situation surrounding it. The media over here( tv world news) updates are rare.
as far as his death, has the cause been acknowledged yet?
Heart problems looks like the likely cause, he liked to drink and smoke and he had a history of heart problems. Of course if you are Serbian; Poison. Muslim; Allah
or if you are witty boredom.
or if you are witty boredom.
I can't decide whether he's truly as evil as some people say or just another overly vilified world leader.
I think Janine sums it up for me.
Yet "5 things" was being posted on between my posts....
Come on Mitch, there was one post.
QUOTE(Gareth Keenan Invetigates @ Mar 11 2006, 01:02 PM) [snapback]41011[/snapback]
Yet "5 things" was being posted on between my posts....
Come on Mitch, there was one post.
QUOTE (Binko @ Mar 11 2006, 06:20 PM) 
I hope they find Mladic and Karadzic and bring them to justice as well.
Bang and bang.
QUOTE (Mitchell @ May 26 2011, 02:02 PM)
QUOTE (Binko @ Mar 11 2006, 06:20 PM)
I hope they find Mladic and Karadzic and bring them to justice as well.
Bang and bang.
Two more to find dead in their jail cell.
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