Milosevic trial to resume on 14 July

The UN tribunal has ordered former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to undergo a new medical examination to see if he is fit to continue defending himself against charges of war crimes.

Slobodan Milosevic faces 66 counts of war crimes

The judges on Tuesday also postponed hearings in Milosevic’s case until 14 July, and asked the tribunal’s registrar to find a lawyer who could be appointed to handle Milosevic’s defense if he is found to be too ill to continue representing himself. 

“There is no evidence that the accused is not fit to stand trial at all, but there is evidence that the health of the accused is such that he may not be fit to continue to represent himself,” judges in his trial said in a statement.

The ruling came one day after the three-judge panel released details of the former Yugoslav leader’s heart condition and said it planned a “radical review” of the trial’s procedure. 

Milosevic, 62, has adamantly refused to accept a courtroom representative, preferring to conduct his own defense against 66 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the Balkan wars of the 1990s.

Source: News Agencies