AbstractThe Hague is the Right Place for MilosevicSlobodan Milosevic will finally be brought before the War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague. While he is not solely responsible for the atrocities that have taken place in the Balkans since 1991, he is the architect of the politics of hatred and prejudice that have torn the region, and he has been the most ruthless practitioner of the violence.From the perspective of the Serbs coming to terms with the recent past, it might seem preferable for Milosevic to be tried in Belgrade. It might help the Serbs develop an understanding for the injustice that was committed against other ethnic groups. But it would be too much to expect the victims of the violence to go to Belgrade to offer testimony or observe the trial. The scars are still fresh, and it is right to value the interests of the victims above the opportunity for a political lesson to be taught. Nevertheless, it is hard to feel genuinely triumphant over the extradition. The victims will not forget that the West waited for Milosevic to be overthrown and arrested by his own people, or that others suspected of war crimes, such as Karadzic or Mladic, remain free. The case of Milosevic shows once again that justice can prevail only where there is both the power and the will to enforce it. 29 June 2001 / First published in German, 29 June 2001 |
Miroslav Antic,
http://www.antic.org/
