Milosevic, prosecutors oppose ICTY plan to split up war crimes trial News
Milosevic, prosecutors oppose ICTY plan to split up war crimes trial

[JURIST] War crimes prosecutors and former Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milosevic [JURIST news archive] were in rare agreement Tuesday in their opposition to a proposal by judges [JURIST report] of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) [official website] to split Milosevic's war crimes trial. Last week, ICTY judges suggested separating the charges related to the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo from the indictments related to earlier wars in Croatia and Bosnia, in an effort to speed up the trial and allow Milosevic to rest while the judges deliberate on the first charges. Milosevic's trial has been delayed repeatedly [JURIST report] over the last four years because of the former president's failing health. Prosecutor Geoffrey Nice opposes the separation, fearing the second part of the trial may not continue and Milosevic will not be brought to justice on the Bosnia and Croatia charges. Nice also argued Milosevic's conduct formed a pattern and should be viewed as a whole. Milosevic called the separation of the trial "illogical and unlawful acrobatics." AP has more.