************************************************************** INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE TO DEFEND SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC ICDSM Sofia-New York-Moscow www.icdsm.org ************************************************************** First Announcement (see the leaflet attached)
I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o n f e r e n c e The Hague Proceedings against Slobodan Milosevic: Emerging Issues in International Law The Hague, 26 February 2005 The idea of international law - in particular international criminal law - is undeniably appealing to jurists and non-lawyers alike, as generations have sought to establish a permanent criminal jurisdiction to prosecute war crimes in the wake of the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials. Beyond the prosecution of the crimes that are committed in war, however, the Nuremberg precedent clearly articulates that the supreme international crime is the instigation of a war of aggression. Indeed, the Nuremberg Tribunal held that: "War is essentially an evil thing. Its consequences are not confined to the belligerent states alone, but affect the whole world. To initiate a war of aggression, therefore, is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." The ICTY, a Security Council institution, does not have the jurisdiction to prosecute the "supreme international crime". Some argue that it in fact legitimizes aggression, which can be exemplified by the serving of an indictment against President Slobodan Milosevic at the height of the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, contrary to international law. As the defence phase of the proceedings continue to delve into the destruction of Yugoslavia by Western interests, legal questions emerge which will be discussed in this conference: -The right to self-representation in international and comparative law; -Joint criminal enterprise, tailor-made to convict and a tool of de-nazification -What is "relevant" testimony in a political prosecution? -War crimes prosecutions by the Security Council: justifying aggression, eliminating national sovereignty -Self-determination and self-defense of Yugoslavia under international law -"Equality of arms": what is left after The Hague? -Armed conflict under international law and in the Milosevic case -Effect of media coverage and lobbying on the right to a fair trial -Misuse of genocide charges and trivialization of Nuremberg precedent and Holocaust -Denying the right to defend oneself - stepping on the fundamentals of law -The right to a fair trial in international and comparative law: has it been respected in the Milosevic case? -How can the Hague be judged, and who will judge it? After the presentation of the invited contributions, the conference will end with a panel discussion. The list of speakers include: - Ramsey Clark, former US Attorney General (USA) - keynote address - Professor Velko Valkanov, Chairman of the Bulgarian Human Rights Committee (Bulgaria) - keynote address - Professor Aldo Bernardini, international law, Teramo University (Italy) - Dr Branko Rakic, international law, Belgrade University, legal associate to President Milosevic (Serbia) - Tiphaine Dickson, international criminal lawyer, legal spokesperson of the ICDSM (Quebec) - Christopher Black, international criminal lawyer, Chair, Legal Committee of the ICDSM (Canada) - Dr John Laughland, author of the book: "The International Criminal Tribunal: Guardian of the New World Order" (UK) - Dr Alexandar Mezhyaev, international law, Kazan (Russia) The Conference will take place in the Golden Tulip Bel Air hotel, Johan de Wittlaan 30 (close to the ICTY) from 1:30-7:00 pm. Conference admission is 10 EUR. Organized by the International Committee to Defend Slobodan Milosevic (ICDSM) and Vereinigung für Internationale Solidarität e.V. (Association for the International Solidarity) Contact person: Vladimir Krsljanin, Secretary of the ICDSM, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] , tel.: +381 63 8862 301 ************************************************************* ************************************************************* URGENT FUNDRAISING APPEAL ****************************** After the Hague Tribunal declared war against human rights and International Law by banning President Milosevic's right to self-defense, our activities for his liberation and for the restoration of his freedom and for the national sovereignty of the Serbian people need to be reorganized and intensified. We need professional, legal work now more than ever. Thus, the creation of conditions for that work is the imperative at this moment. ******************************************* The petition of 100 lawyers and law professors from 18 countries, and other related activities of the ICDSM Legal Committee, produced a public effect incomparable to any other previous action by the ICDSM. President Milosevic has the truth and law on his side. In order to use that advantage to achieve his freedom, we must fight this totally discredited tribunal and its patrons through professionally conducted actions which would involve the Bar Associations, the European Court, the UN organs in charge and the media. Our practice has shown that ad hoc voluntary work is not enough to deal properly with these tasks. The funds secured in Serbia are still enough only to cover the expenses of the stay and work of President Milosevic's legal associates at The Hague (one at the time). The funds secured by the German section of the ICDSM (still the only one with regular contributions) are enough only to cover minimal additional work at The Hague connected with contacts and preparations of foreign witnesses. Everything else is lacking. *********************************************************** 3000-5000 EUR per month is our imminent need. Our history and our people oblige us to go on with this necessary action. But without these funds it will not be possible. Please organize urgently the fundraising activity and send the donations to the following ICDSM accounts: Peter Betscher Stadt- und Kreissparkasse Darmstadt, Germany IBAN: DE 21 5085 0150 0102 1441 63 SWIFT-BIC: HELADEF1DAS or Vereinigung für Internationale Solidarität (VIS) 4000 Basel, Switzerland PC 40-493646-5 ************************************************************ All of your donations will be used for legal and other necessary accompanying activities, on instruction or with the consent of President Milosevic. To obtain additional information on the use of your donations or to obtain additional advice on the most efficient way to submit your donations or to make bank transfers, please do not hesitate to contact us: Peter Betscher (ICDSM Treasurer) E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone: +49 172 7566 014 Vladimir Krsljanin (ICDSM Secretary) E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone: +381 63 8862 301 The ICDSM and Sloboda need to address governments, international human rights and legal organizations, and to launch legal proceedings. The ICDSM plans a legal conference at The Hague. Sloboda has just sent to the patriotic factions in the Serbian Parliament an initiative to adopt a parliamentary Resolution against the human rights violations by the Hague Tribunal and to form an international team of experts to make an extensive report on these violations which would be submitted to the UN. *************************************************************** For truth and human rights against aggression! Freedom for Slobodan Milosevic! Freedom and equality for people! On behalf of Sloboda and ICDSM, Vladimir Krsljanin, Foreign Relations Assistant to President Milosevic ************************************************************* To join or help this struggle, visit: http://www.sloboda.org.yu/ (Sloboda/Freedom association) http://www.icdsm.org/ (the international committee to defend Slobodan Milosevic) http://www.free-slobo.de/ (German section of ICDSM) http://www.icdsm-us.org/ (US section of ICDSM) http://www.icdsmireland.org/ (ICDSM Ireland) http://www.pasti.org/milodif.htm (ICDSM Italy) http://www.wpc-in.org/ (world peace council) http://www.geocities.com/b_antinato/ (Balkan antiNATO center)
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