The dead bear witness: former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic is on trial for war crimes. Will the Balkans finally get a taste of justice? (International).The remains of 372 people killed 10 years ago were laid out on a warehouse floor in the Bosnian town of Sanski Most Sanski Most is a town and municipality in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located on the Sana River in Bosanska Krajina, between Prijedor and Ključ. Administratively it is part of the Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. . In the sameness of the bones, there were traces of distinct human beings--a Mozart T-shirt, a pocket watch. Two forensics See computer forensics. experts arranged the bones like pieces of a puzzle and labeled them: B for a whole body, BP for something less. What seems overwhelming is the size of the crime: These Bosnian Muslims were among thousands killed and dumped in mass graves A mass grave is a grave containing multiple, usually unidentified human corpses. There is no strict definition of the minimum number of bodies required to constitute a mass grave. across the former Yugoslavia during the decade of wars that marked the breakup breakup The division of a company into separate parts. The most famous breakup to date was the 1984 division of AT&T (formerly, American Telephone & Telegraph Company). This breakup was intended to increase competition in the communications industry. of the nation. For the past nine months, the man accused of being most responsible for these deaths, Slobodan Milosevic, the former President of Yugoslavia, and of Serbia, its largest remaining republic, has been standing trial before an international tribunal in The Hague, the Hague, The (hāg), Du. 's Gravenhage or Den Haag, Fr. La Haye, city (1994 pop. 445,279), administrative and governmental seat of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, capital of South Holland prov., W Netherlands, on the North Sea. Netherlands. Milosevic (me-LOH-se-vich), the first head of state ever to be tried for war crimes, is accused of leading a campaign of genocide, the systematic murder of an entire people. His aim, prosecutors allege, was to "cleanse cleanse tr.v. cleansed, cleans·ing, cleans·es To free from dirt, defilement, or guilt; purge or clean. [Middle English clensen, from Old English " the land he believed belonged to ethnic Serbs, eliminating other groups who had long lived there, such as Croats, Muslims, and ethnic Albanians. The accusations against Milosevic span three wars, in Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo. His trial--the most significant war-crimes prosecution since Nuremberg, where the leaders of Nazi. Germany were judged for the crimes of World War II--is expected to last another year. Milosevic, who is his own attorney, says he is innocent, that he will show he acted only to keep Yugoslavia whole. "This is a malicious, utterly hostile process aimed at justifying the crime against my country, using this court as a weapon against my country and my people," he told judges in The Hague. A LOST BRIDGE BETWEEN EAST AND WEST Before it began breaking apart in 1991, Yugoslavia was an imperfect but functioning multiethnic mul·ti·eth·nic adj. Of, relating to, or including several ethnic groups. Adj. 1. multiethnic - involving several ethnic groups multi-ethnic state in the Balkans, a mountainous area in southeastern Europe. It was a unique bridge between Islamic East and Christian West: Serbs, whose religion is traditionally Orthodox Christian, made up 36 percent of the population; Croats, mostly Roman Catholic, 20 percent; Bosnian Muslims, 9 percent; and Albanians, mostly Muslim, 8 percent. Milosevic was already the President of Serbia The President of Serbia is the head of state of the Republic of Serbia. The current President of Serbia is Boris Tadić, who won a majority of votes in the Serbian presidential elections, 2004. , one of Yugoslavia's six republics, when Slovenia and Croatia broke away in 1991, thus starting the first Balkan wars During the course of the Balkan Wars the Balkan League (Serbia, Montenegro, Greece, and Bulgaria) first conquered Ottoman-held Macedonia and most of Thrace and then fell out over the division of the spoils. . Then in 1992, the republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina declared its independence, sparking a brutal war that lasted until 1995. Milosevic had been elected President of all Yugoslavia by the time war erupted in 1999 in Kosovo, a predominently ethnic Albanian province in southern Serbia. More than 200,000 people died in the wars of Yugoslavia's breakup, most of them Muslims. Bosnia is now largely divided along ethnic lines; international peacekeepers patrol the borders. Foreign bureaucrats run Bosnia (now an independent nation) and Kosovo (which remains part of Serbia), and will continue to oversee them for years to come. For many victims, there is a need for justice. For the Serbs, who supported Milosevic for 13 years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time questions raised by the trial are perhaps more complex. "Milosevic will be found guilty of crimes," said Veton Surroi Veton Surroi (born July 17, 1961) is a popular Kosovo Albanian publicist and politician. Surroi is the founder and leader of the ORA reformist political party, and is a member of Kosovo assembly since 2004. , the publisher of Koha Ditore Koha Ditore (English: Daily Time) is a daily newspaper from Kosovo. It is published by Koha Group and is owned by politician Veton Surroi's sister Flaka Surroi. Veton Surroi owned the newspaper until recently, but gave up on it ever since he started his political career , an influential Albanian newspaper in Kosovo. "But his society cannot escape responsibility for those crimes. This is an opportunity for them to open the soul and say: `Wait a minute, where was I when that happened? Where were the Serb people?'" "After all," he added "they will need to deal with it, if not for anyone else's sake, for their own sake." MORE QUESTIONS, MORE BODIES Dejan, Milojevic, 29, a town official in Aleksinac (a-LEK-sin-ach), South of Belgrade, the Yugoslav capital, is like many Serbs: weary of Miloeevic and of hearing about the savagery Savagery Apache Indians once fierce fighting tribe of American West. [Am. Hist.: NCE, 123] bandersnatch imaginary wild animal of great ferocity. [Br. Lit. of Serbs. But he wonders if Milosevic can get a fair trial. After all, the same European countries that were responsible for the 1999 NATO NATO: see North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO in full North Atlantic Treaty Organization International military alliance created to defend western Europe against a possible Soviet invasion. bombing that drove Serbian troops out of Kosovo are now financing the trial. Serbs often say they had no idea what was happening to non-Serbs around them. Milosevic's propaganda was overwhelming. For years, it portrayed Serbia under imminent threat Imminent threat is a standard criterion in international law, developed by Daniel Webster, for when the need for action is "instant, overwhelming, and leaving no choice of means, and no moment for deliberation. from its non-Serb neighbors. Most Serbs swallowed this. But mow, prosecutors at The Hague have begun to present evidence of one atrocity after another:. The 1992 "ethnic cleansing ethnic cleansing The creation of an ethnically homogenous geographic area through the elimination of unwanted ethnic groups by deportation, forcible displacement, or genocide. " in Bosnia, when tens of thousands of people died and more than 700,000 Muslims were driven from their homes. The 1995 killing of 7,000 Muslim men in the Bosnian city of Srebrenica. The 1999 massacre of 300 Albanians in the village of Meja in Kosovo, and the 800,000 Kosovo Albanians This is a list of notable Albanian Kosovars:
Last year, the new Yugoslav government announced a horrifying find: eight mass graves in Serbia, including five on a police training ground in Batajnica (bat-an-ICH-a), near Belgrade. The discovery jolted many Serbs. "If it's really true," said Marina Ivanis, 22, a clerk in a Batajnica clothing store, "it's a monstrous thing. It's inhuman in·hu·man adj. 1. a. Lacking kindness, pity, or compassion; cruel. See Synonyms at cruel. b. Deficient in emotional warmth; cold. 2. ." "I CAN NEVER FORGIVE THEM" In Bosnia, many more dead lie undiscovered--there are still 17,000 Muslims, 2500 Serbs, and 700 Croats missing. The skeletons in the warehouse here in Sanski Most constitute only about half of those dumped in mine pits outside the town of Ljubija (LOO-biya), investigators say. Bones poking through the dirt revealed the spot. In 1992, Bosnia became the third war of Yugoslavia's disintegration, after Slovenia and Croatia. The Serbian violence, most of it against civilians, was overwhelming: villages of Muslims uprooted, massacres, thousands held behind barbed wire barbed wire, wire composed of two zinc-coated steel strands twisted together and having barbs spaced regularly along them. The need for barbed wire arose in the 19th cent. in concentration camps. Milosevic dismissed accounts of these events as the inventions of those plotting Serbia's downfall. He said he had no control over Bosnia, despite evidence that Serbian forces in Bosnia were being directed and paid from Belgrade. Suhra Pidic, 60, a Bosnian Muslim from Kozarac (ko-ZAR-ach), has no hope that Serbs, Muslims, and Croats can live together again. "My son was killed in a concentration camp," she said. "I can never forgive them. In 1,000 years, our children's children will never forgive them." The Kosovo part of the charges against. Milosevic is specific: On April 27, 1999, Yugoslav and Serbian troops rounded up Albanians near Meja, close to Kosovo's border with Albania. Most were forced to flee. An unknown number of men were killed. At least 300 are still missing. Identity cards of seven men last seen there were found in the mass graves outside Belgrade. "This was state organized," said Engjell Berisha, 40, who lost two brothers that day. "There were soldiers, police, high officials from the municipality MUNICIPALITY. The body of officers, taken collectively, belonging to a city, who are appointed to manage its affairs and defend its interests. . If this was the work of bandits, it wouldn't have been this organized." Prosecutors say the troops in Kosovo appeared to be under Milosevic's direct authority. Milosevic says he was fighting to protect his country against Albanian "terrorists," the Kosovo Liberation Army The Kosovo Liberation Army or KLA (Albanian: Ushtria Çlirimtare e Kosovës or UÇK) was an ethnic Albanian paramilitary extremist group which sought independence for the province of Kosovo from Yugoslavia and Serbia in the late 1990s. . The new Serbian government says it has testimony that Milosevic personally ordered the cleanup of "battlefields"--in other words, places where massacres took place. No matter how Milosevic's trial turns out, it may not be enough to satisfy the thirst many have for revenge. "Even if he gets the death penalty, it's nothing," said Ajmoni Behrami, a Kosovar Muslim whose son was killed by Serb forces. Milosevic's trial, she said, "is important, but I could tear his skin off myself, and my heart would not even speed up." MAY 1989 Milosevic becomes President of Serbia after having served as head of the Central Committee of the League of Communists. JUNE 1991 Slovenia and Croatia break away from Yugoslavia. Slovenia wins independence in 10 days. In Croatia, clashes between Serbian troops and Croatian defense forces erupt into full-scale war. APRIL 1992 Bosnia and Herzegovina's independence is recognized by the U.S. and Europe. Bosnian Serb forces, backed by the Serb state, attack Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia. JULY 1995 Serbian forces slaughter some 7,000 Muslim men in Srebrenica after UN troops withdraw. NOVEMBER 1995 Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia sign a peace accord in Dayton, Ohio Dayton is a city in southwestern Ohio, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Montgomery County. As of the 2005 census estimate, the population of Dayton was 158,873. . Bosnia is divided into a Muslim-Croat federation and a Bosnian Serb republic. JULY 1997 In a hastily organized vote, Milosevic is elected President of Yugoslavia by the federal assembly. JANUARY 19-8 Albanian rebels in Kosovo assassinate as·sas·si·nate tr.v. as·sas·si·nat·ed, as·sas·si·nat·ing, as·sas·si·nates 1. To murder (a prominent person) by surprise attack, as for political reasons. 2. a Serbian official; clashes between Serbian police and Albanians grow. MARCH 1999 NATO begins bombing Yugoslavia to end Serbian repression of Albanians in Kosovo The Albanians are the largest ethnic group in Kosovo, a Serbian province currently under UN administration. According to the 1991 census, boycotted by Albanians, there were 1,596,072 ethnic Albanians in Kosovo or 81.6% of population. . JUNE 1999 Serbian forces withdraw from Kosovo. Thousands of Serbs are driven from their homes as NATO ground troops arrive. OCTOBER 2000 Serbs drive Milosevic from power after he tries to steal the Yugoslav presidential election from Vojislav Kostunica. JUNE 2001 Milosevic is turned over to the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague. FEBRUARY 2002 The Milosevic trial begins. The indictment against him includes 32 counts of war crimes in Croatia; 29 counts of war crimes, including genocide, in Bosnia; and 5 counts of war crimes in Kosovo. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS * How would you define a war crime? * Why do think no other head of state has been prosecuted for war crimes? * If Milosevic is found guilty, what would be a suitable punishment for the tribunal to impose? TEACHING OBJECTIVES To help students understand the meaning of war crimes, in this case the genocide committed during the wars in the former Yugoslavia and the accusations against Slobodan Milosevic, former President of Yugoslavia. CLASSROOM STRATEGIES BEFORE READING: Ask students whether they believe the world community has a legal and moral right to punish national leaders for crimes committed within their borders. CRITICAL THINKING: Students will undoubtedly favor punishing Milosevic; remind them that the International War Crimes Tribunal must prove that Milosevic is guilty of the terrible crimes with which he is charged. But what does proof in a case like this entail? Must the prosecution demonstrate that the killings were committed at the direction of or with the complicity of Milosevic? Is it enough that he was the head of government while the atrocities were committed? Is it a defense to argue that war is war and people get killed in war? THE DEFENSE SPEAKS: Assign students the unenviable position of defense attorneys for Milosevic. What information in the article might they seize upon to challenge the prosecution? What about the fact that four Yugoslav republics broke away? Does any country have the right to stop regions from seceding? Isn't it true that civilian deaths are usually a by-product by·prod·uct or by-prod·uct n. 1. Something produced in the making of something else. 2. A secondary result; a side effect. by-product Noun 1. of all wars? Note the fair-trial issue. Is the trial inherently unfair because the nations that funded the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia There were two aerial bombings of Yugoslavia in history.
surviving Nazi leaders put on trial (1946). [Eur. Hist.: Van Doren, 512] See : Justice of Nazi officials after World War II. These trials were also conducted by the victors in the war--the U.S. and its allies.) Next, turn to the question of the guilt of the Serbian people. How many students agree with newspaper publisher Veton Surroi, who says Serbs "cannot escape responsibility for those crimes"? What evidence does the article offer that most Serbs were not fully aware of the atrocities? (Note the reference to Milosevic's propaganda machine, on page 10.) Upfront QUIZ 1 FILL IN THE BLANK DIRECTIONS: Write the correct answer on the line provided.
1. Most of the estimated 200,000 people killed in the
wars of Yugoslavia's breakup were --,
a minority group disdained by most Serbs.
2. Slobodan Milosevic, former President of Yugoslavia,
is being tried by an international tribunal for alleged
war crimes. The trial is in The Hague, a city in the
--, a country in Western Europe.
3. Milosevic, the first head of state ever to be tried for
war crimes, is accused of --,
the systematic murder of an entire people.
4. The Milosevic trial is the most significant war-crimes
prosecution since the end of World War II, when leaders
of -- were brought
to justice for their role in war crimes. (two words)
5. All of the provinces of the former Yugoslavia are part
of the --, a mountainous
region in southeastern Europe.
6. In 1999, Serbian military forces killed hundreds of
--, who lived in the southern
Yugoslav province of Kosovo. An estimated 800,000
of these people were driven from their homes.
7. In response to the deadly attack described in question
6, above, --, a military alliance
composed of the U.S., Canada, and several European
nations, began an aerial bombing campaign that drove
Serbian forces out of Kosovo.
8. In November 1995, Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia signed
a peace accord in --, a city
in western Ohio.
9. "Ethnic --" is the murder and removal
of thousands of people from their homes.
10. --, the capital of Yugoslavia,
was one of the targets during the bombing campaign
to drive the Serbian military out of Kosovo.
ANSWER KEY 1. Muslims 2. Netherlands 3. genocide 4. Nazi Germany 5. Balkans 6. Albanians 7. NATO 8. Dayton 9. cleansing 10. Belgrade IAN FISHER
n. A correspondent who sends news reports or commentary from a foreign country for broadcast or publication. Noun 1. for The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times. He is based in Prague, Czech Republic Czech Republic, Czech Česká Republika (2005 est. pop. 10,241,000), republic, 29,677 sq mi (78,864 sq km), central Europe. It is bordered by Slovakia on the east, Austria on the south, Germany on the west, and Poland on the north. . |
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