Milosevic Death: The Third Cause

PEJ News - C. L. Cook - There were, argued the Chief UN war crimes prosecutor, two possible causes: " normal, natural death and suicide." - International Jurist Extraordinaire, Carla Del Ponte

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Milosevic Death:
The Third Cause

C.L. Cook

PEJ News
March 12, 2006


The death-in-custody of the former president of Federated Republic of Yugoslavia, (FRY) the entity totally destroyed by America and her Nato allies nearly a century ago, is raising more questions today. Dutch doctors say Slobodan Milosevic died of a heart attack; what prompted that event is yet to be determined.

Milosevic, imprisoned by the International Criminal Court at The Hague since 2001, and facing war-crimes charges, is the second Yugoslav Conflict "war-criminal" convict to die in custody in a week, and it was revealed today, in a statement allegedly written last week, he charged he was being poisoned by his jailers.

Though murder doesn't occur to legal beagle, Carla del Ponte as a possibility in the, frankly, welcome demise of Dr. Milosevic, tongues outside the purview of the ICC are wagging.

The International Action Center, long a critic of Nato's Yugoslav War, and the official narrative regarding the run-up to it, is one of a number of organizations poindting fingers at the ICC's complicity in the death. They reiterate Milosevic's complaints that his medical needs were systematically denied, and his continued confinement was a form of torture. The IAC also claim, the failure of the ICC to bring a cogent case against the deceased after four and a-half years proves the lie of the invasion, and the "propaganda" that preceded it.

What is certain tonight: Even in death, Slobodan Milosevic continues to be a thorn in the side of the International Criminal Court, and reminder of toxic truths about the invasion and destruction of the former Yugoslavia many would rather have left unattended.

A fact confirmed by Ms. del Ponte's myopic diagnosis of the case.



Chris Cook is a contributing editor to PEJ News, and hosts Gorilla Radio, a weekly public affairs program, broad/webcast from the University of Victoria, Canada. You can check out the GR Blog here.

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