Slobodan Milošević dies in prison cell

[Astronuc]

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Former_Yugoslavian_president_Slobodan_Milosevic_found_dead_in_his_cell

Former Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milošević, 64, has died in the U.N. war crimes tribunal detention center in The Hague, Netherlands. The Serbian Socialist party and UN officials confirmed his death, and Tribunal President Fausto Pocar has ordered an inquiry, which will be done by the Dutch police and the Dutch coroner. A toxicological examination and a full autopsy have also been ordered on Milošević.

A statement said that Milošević "was found lifeless on his bed in his cell at the United Nations detention unit. The guard immediately alerted the detention unit officer in command and the medical officer. The latter confirmed that Slobodan Milošević was dead."

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said that Milošević died of natural causes. He had been suffering from chronic heart problems and high blood pressure.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060312/ap_on_re_eu/milosevic

The war crimes trial of Milošević was drawing to the end when he was found dead. So the rest is academic. There are still fugitives like Ratko Mladić and Radovan Karadžić (Радован Караџић) to be brought to justice.

Whether or not justice has been serve is perhaps a matter of one's perspective. Clearly he had leading role in the mass homicides in the former Yugoslavia.

Here is his indictment by THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA
http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/mil-ii011122e.htm

And the controversy continues - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slobodan_Milošević#External_links

 

[Cyrus]

Too bad he did not suffer. The sad part is the Yugoslavian people still think he's a hero.

 

[Astronuc]

The sad part is the Yugoslavian people still think he's a hero.

Some, but certainly not all. He had supporters who still believe he is/was right, just like George Bush has supporters.

 

[Cyrus]

He had supporters who still believe he is/was right, just like George Bush has supporters.

You are terrible

(I was too general in my statement, certainly not all agree w/him, but you know what I meant )

 

[Galileo]

There is, in any case, very little political cooperation from the Yugoslavian governments which makes finding Mladic and Karadzic very difficult.

 

[Hurkyl]

Too bad he did not suffer.

Are you serious?

 

[Cyrus]

Why should I have sympathy for a mass murder Hurkyl?

 

[arildno]

Hmm..not trying to second-guess Hurkyl, but I for one distinguish between not having sympathy for a guy and giving into sadistic actions towards him.

 

[Cyrus]

Well, some people do deserve to suffer for what they have done. Trying to wipe out a race is one of those times. This was done with planning and premeditation, not in the heat of passion.

 

[arildno]

Many who lives deserve to die, and many who dies deserve to live.
Can you give it to them?
Be not so hasty in dealing out death in judgment.

 

[Cyrus]

What are you talking about? We are not talking about "Many who lives deserve to die, and many who dies deserve to live," are we?

We are talking about one man, who orchestrated the mass murder of a people. That's not being hasty. That's called being swift and severe. At the very least he should have been put to death.

 

[Pengwuino]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11791534/

THE HAGUE - Preliminary results from an autopsy conducted Sunday showed that Slobodan Milosevic died of a heart attack, an official of the U.N. war crimes tribunal said.

 

[Cyrus]

Suffering does not have to be physical arildno. And yes, he does deserve it.

 

[Cyrus]

Why? Because I don't want him to sit around in a jail cell drinking fine wine for the rest of his days after what he did? Where is your moral outrage for what he did?

 

[Cyrus]

Answer the question.

 

[scott1]

Too bad he did not suffer.

Of cource he surfferd.He was on court for war crimes that has to the most slowest and painful death a person can get.Just look sadams trial.

 

[Cyrus]

Sitting in a court room with a suit and tie while his supporters chanted for his freedom, wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooof what hardships he went through. (Excuse me while I bust out my violin and start playing for the man)

 

[selfAdjoint]

I am suspicious of that heart attack. Ricin can cause heart attacks and the former USSR and their Bulgarian allies were noted for using it as an assassination tool. The present Russian government was a supporter of Serbia during the period when the accused genocide was taking place and we don't know how deeply they may have been complicit in it, but HE did, and it might have been in somebody's interest to make sure that in the last desperation he didn't reveal it.

I know this is sheer conspiracy theory, but I just can't help wondering.

 

[russ_watters]

Supposedly, he had some ongoing medical problems, but eh - if someone helped him out the door, I won't be shedding a tear either way. But yeah, it would have been better if he had been convicted first.

 

[RVBuckeye]

I am suspicious of that heart attack. Ricin can cause heart attacks and the former USSR and their Bulgarian allies were noted for using it as an assassination tool. The present Russian government was a supporter of Serbia during the period when the accused genocide was taking place and we don't know how deeply they may have been complicit in it, but HE did, and it might have been in somebody's interest to make sure that in the last desperation he didn't reveal it.

I know this is sheer conspiracy theory, but I just can't help wondering.

I'm sure he was just biding his time in jail, waiting for that opportune moment to reveal the REAL culprits. Come on.

 

[selfAdjoint]

He was defient, and rejected the legitimacy of the tribunal. He must have known the outcome was foreordained - from his viewpoint it was a kangaroo court. So it would not have served his own ends, posturing as he was, to reveal any secrets he may have had. But when it was all over and he was on his way to execution or life imprisonment, he might very well have decided to take down his patrons to the East. Or Someone may have thought he might! If there was a Someone, they would not have served THEIR needs by thowing dice over the behavior of a loose cannon.

 

[RVBuckeye]

Snitches get stitches.

 

[Galileo]

The cause of his heart infarct is still being investigated. It's quite possible he or other people had a hand in ending his life more swiftly.

 

[Anttech]

By dieing he has just been made a martyer to MANY in that region. Hope it doesn't put fuel on the fire and another conflict sparks off.

 

[Astronuc]

Many who lives deserve to die, and many who dies deserve to live.
Can you give it to them?
Be not so hasty in dealing out death in judgment.

Words of wisdom from Gandalf to Frodo.

Ending the life of a living entity is not to be taken lightly.

Retaliation, Revenge and Vengeance are not forms of Justice!

 

[Cyrus]

Retaliation, Revenge and Vengeance are not forms of Justice!

I respectfully disagree with this. In some cases, the death penalty is the only fitting punishment.

 

[franzbear!]

Let's not forget that the death penalty does not have to be used only in cases of emotion, such as revenge and retaliation. It can be just at logical and precise as any other punishment. I agree with Cyrus, why should a man who plotted and executed such attrocities be given the benefit of life? Surely this isn't revenge, it's justice! Never forget that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, and moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue. How often has civility and caution been used as a mask for fear and self-doubt?

 

[Astronuc]

Never forget that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, and moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.

I respectfully disagree.

How often has civility and caution been used as a mask for fear and self-doubt?

Never by me.

 

[Art]

Would one of those baying for Milosevic's blood be kind enough to tell the rest of us exactly what he did. He fought a succession of wars (4 in all) to try to prevent the seccession of former states from the union of Yuogoslavia and so I'd particularly like to know what differentiates him in their minds from Lincoln.

 

[selfAdjoint]

Words of wisdom from Gandalf to Frodo.

Ending the life of a living entity is not to be taken lightly.

Retaliation, Revenge and Vengeance are not forms of Justice!

And not to forget that the author of the quote had seen the upshot of sectarian revenge first hand in the trenches of World War I.

In spite of which he contemplated military glory in defending your neighbor's homeland even to the death (Theoden) against invasion by evil "others".

 

[RVBuckeye]

SelfAdjoint,
Well perhaps a conspiracy was taking place...but the Russian newspaper Pravda seems to be acting like the trial wasn't going great for the prosecution, and he might have been poisoned in an attempt to enact justice before the trial concluded.

Former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic feared he was being poisoned in his detention cell in The Hague, his lawyer Zdenko Tomanovic said on Saturday hours after the tribunal announced Milosevic's death.

"Today, I have filed an official request to the tribunal to have the autopsy carried out in Moscow, having in mind his claims yesterday that he was being poisoned in the jail," Tomanovic told reporters in The Hague.

http://english.pravda.ru/world/europe/11-03-2006/77151-Milosevic-0

In the midst of his defence, after Carla del Ponte’s inept attempt at prosecution (many of her key witnesses turned out to be liars) Slobodan Milosevic was about to call some resounding names in international circles to the stand. Now, they will not have to go. How very convenient the “death” of Slobodan Milosevic is.

With the “disappearance” of an important witness in Milosevic’s trial, Milan Babic, through suicide, less than a week ago, the Hague detention centre could rightly be called Death Row and is evidently unfil to detain and protect prisoners.

http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/11-03-2006/77152-Slobodan_Milosevic-0

edit: spelling

 

[Hurkyl]

Would one of those baying for Milosevic's blood be kind enough to tell the rest of us exactly what he did.

One of them already did:

Trying to wipe out a race

We are talking about one man, who orchestrated the mass murder of a people.

and others have said:

when the accused genocide was taking place

So, I suspect they're talking about some alledged attempt at ethnic extermination.

 

[Astronuc]

So, I suspect they're talking about some alledged attempt at ethnic extermination.

Sort of like the alleged destruction of the World Trade Center.

 

[Hurkyl]

Sort of like the alleged destruction of the World Trade Center.

Allegations can be true, and they can be false. I felt no need to make a gratituous assertion when answering Art, and I'm rather irritated that you suggest I should have.

 

[selfAdjoint]

Here's some documentation, Hurkyl: http://www.haverford.edu/relg/sells/reports.html

For more, just google on Bosnia and genocide or on Sarajevo. It's not like this was a deep secret.