Milosevic may serve time in Russian prison News
Milosevic may serve time in Russian prison

[JURIST] Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic [Wikipedia profile; JURIST news archive] may be able to serve his expected prison sentence in Russia close to where his wife lives, according to a plan being supported by officials in the US and United Kingdom and reported in London's Sunday Times. Milosevic's trial before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia [official website] for war crimes and genocide in Kosovo, Croatia and Bosnia has been going on for four years and lawyers anticipate it may be another year and a half before it is finished. The former president is expected to be sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison even if he is convicted of the lesser charges of crimes against humanity. Victims' families have spoken out against Milosevic being allowed to serve his sentence in Russia, but the western countries covering the trial's bill are interested in seeing a quicker ending date with the 2005 budget alone expected to be over $100 million. It is anticipated that Milosevic would be less likely to appeal a prison sentence in Russia. The Sunday Times has more.