Perverted Justice
Hague Inquisition Mocks the
Rule of Law
Slobodan
Milosevic�s third appearance before the Hague Inquisition (ICTY),
this past Monday, provided a much-needed distraction from the
blundering war against the inhabitants of Afghan wastelands. What
better way of re-forging one�s resolve to obliterate Afghanistan in
the name of retribution, than to remember the triumphant air war
against Serbia not so long ago � that embodiment of Empire�s boldly
asserted power to attack anyone, anywhere, with impunity?
To be sure, the conquest of the Balkans is not quite over
yet; some in Macedonia still refuse
to unconditionally dismember the country. Judging by recent
reports, their chances of success are slim. But the capstone of
a decade of intervention, occupation and destruction in the Balkan
Peninsula surely must be the "trial" of a man designated to take the
blame for it all. Once that is done � i.e. once Milosevic is
convicted of genocide, aggression and expulsions in Croatia, Bosnia
and Kosovo � the One Official Truth about the past decade of warfare
in what used to be Yugoslavia will be complete, and anyone daring to
question it can be dismissed as a lunatic, dangerous heretic, or
both.
FOLLOWING THE
SCRIPT
For almost two
hours, Milosevic listened to a litany of accusations, monotonously
recited by a clerk. Then, as he angrily dismissed them as rants of a
"retarded
seven-year old," the presiding "judge" disconnected
his microphone yet again and entered a plea on Milosevic�s behalf.
Then the ball was in the press court, as reporters painted a
sinister picture of the unrepentant
"Butcher of the Balkans," scowling as he "exuded defiance and
contempt." Just so no one missed it, the London Times even
pointed out that Milosevic was the "world�s most-hated figure"
before Osama Bin Laden came along.
Both Milosevic�s continued defiance and his rejection of
the new charges, pertaining to the 1991 war in Croatia, were expected.
No doubt, a similar scene will play itself out once the Head
Inquisitor, Carla Del Ponte, submits the third amended
indictment, this time accusing Milosevic of genocide in the 1992-95
Bosnian War. One would not go too far out on a limb to guess that a
few days before that hearing, the Human Rights Watch will again
publish a report
asserting that it has "clear
evidence" (namely, its own assertion) that Milosevic was
absolutely guilty of everything in the indictment, and then
some.
ASSERTIONS OF
GUILT
Not only does
Human Rights Watch resurrect the debunked canard about 10,000
murdered Albanians, its report makes the brazen
assertion that the crimes in Kosovo "fit into the Belgrade
government�s strategic aims." That, along with statements of
interviewed victims/witnesses and "photographs of alleged
perpetrators" (!) constitutes "clear evidence" of systematic,
"carefully planned and implemented operations." In other words, it
is supposed to be the truth because it fits HRW�s theory.
Certainly, one should be glad that an organization such as
HRW has such competent, committed, independent researchers, and is
not in thrall to any government or alliance, so it can safely throw
thousands of years of jurisprudence out the window, save American
taxpayers millions of dollars in court expenses (someone has
to pay for Del Ponte�s three-ring circus), and convict Milosevic on
the power of assertions alone. And of course, the timing of their
report was purely a coincidence.
TRUE
COLORS
Yugoslavia�s top
general, who fought against NATO and the KLA in Kosovo, dismissed
the HRW allegations as "idiotic ranting," "unfounded gossip and
calculations" of people "who suffer from an inferiority complex."
That may be so, but HRW needs to be given some credit. They
understand what many in present (and former) Yugoslavia do not: the
true purpose of the Hague Inquisition.
They know that giving Milosevic a pretense of fair
trial (with the inevitable conviction) would both justify the
ICTY�s existence as a "UN court, established in 1993 to bring to
justice those responsible for atrocities in the Balkans," and assert
its credibility. Once they are considered meritorious to adjudge
responsibility (i.e. guilt), the ICTY can "cover a much
broader scope of the violent breakup of Yugoslavia," asserting
(and thus proving) the existence of a "Serb campaign to route [sic]
out other ethnic groups and create a �greater� Serbian
state."
This canard about "greater Serbia" is, in turn, the ultimate
justification of American, European, and even Islamic involvement in
the 1991-2001 Wars of Yugoslav Succession. Never mind that the US
paper of record, the New York Times, featured a front-page
story about ethnic tensions in Yugoslavia 14 years ago on
this very day, pointing out as a culprit the violent Albanian
separatists in Kosovo and western Macedonia.
THE OSAMA
CONNECTION
There is bitter
irony in Milosevic�s claim that these Albanians were aided by no
other than Osama Bin Laden, America�s current number-one enemy.
Though at first it may sound like an opportunistic, cynical attempt
at manipulating American anger over Black Tuesday, facts indicate
otherwise. Milosevic has alleged Bin Laden�s
involvement in the Balkans for
years, and numerous
reports have backed him up.
SQUARING THE
CIRCLE
Many horrible
things have happened in the course of the Yugoslav Succession Wars,
as former neighbors fought over land and power in a vacuum created
by the collapse of their common house of cards. Those who bloodied
their hands in the process certainly need to answer for their
actions. After all, is not war itself a crime against humanity? But
the millions of victims in former and current Yugoslavia do not want
justice. They want vengeance, a sentiment familiar to Americans as
they look upon the smoking ruins of the World Trade Center, or the
blackened gash in the Pentagon.
BOMBS AND
CIRCUSES
Just as
Americans blame Bin Laden for their dead, Croats, Muslims and
Albanians fervently believe Milosevic was behind their tragedies.
Serbs, on the other hand, blame Croat, Muslim, Albanian and American
leaders.
The so-called "International Criminal Tribunal" was
established to manipulate this desire for vengeance and create the
illusion of justice, all the while serving the purpose of its
sponsors and founders. Its illegitimate genesis, its practices, the
timing of its indictments, and even the general purpose � to pin
blame on one people, one idea and one man, as mentioned above � all
point to a cruel irony: that the inventors
of modern total war have asserted themselves as judge, jury and
executioner of the peoples whose misfortunes they have exploited,
while remaining immune from prosecution themselves.
In such a world, it is not irrational that Yugoslavia, once a
founder of the United Nations, becomes its youngest member (a year
ago today); that Osama Bin Laden is declared evil incarnate when he
is accused of killing Americans, but is ignored when he helps kill
Serbs, Croats or Macedonians; that the United States can bomb a
country half the world away, while forcing the Macedonian police to
risk
death in its own country; and where justice and power both come
from the barrel of a gun � or in this case, the missile
rack. |
