Serbia seeking extradition of Milosevic widow, son from Russia News
Serbia seeking extradition of Milosevic widow, son from Russia

[JURIST] Serbian Justice Minister Dusan Petrovic [official profile, in Serbian] signed an extradition request [press release] Thursday for the widow and son of former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic [JURIST news archive]. Mirjana Markovic [BBC profile] and her son Marko currently reside in Russia but are wanted in Serbia on charges [JURIST report] related their alleged involvement in a cigarette smuggling ring in the early 1990s. Markovic and her son have denied the allegations but refuse to return to Serbia to face charges. A spokesman for the Russian Federal Migration Service said that Markovic and Milosevic were granted refugee status in March 2006 in accordance with a UN convention. Serbian prosecutors said earlier this month that the two could be tried in absentia [JURIST report].

In July 2006, a Serbian court reissued an international arrest warrant for Markovic because she had on multiple occasions failed to appear in court [JURIST reports] to face abuse of power charges. Slobodan Milosevic died from heart failure [JURIST report] in March 2006 while in detention at The Hague. RIA Novosti has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Pope Urban II sparks First Crusade

Pope Urban II threw his support behind what would become the First Crusade on November 27, 1095 during the Council of Clairmont. The Pope urged the council's participants to render aid to the Byzantine Empire, which was being attacked by the Seljuks. Pope Urban called for a wide coalition of rich and poor to combat the threat, which eventually resulted in the conquest of much of the Muslim-controlled Levant by the Crusaders and the establishment of the Crusader States. Read Pope Urban's address.  

Catholic Code of Canon Law revised

On November 27, 1983, the revised Code of Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church went into effect. Learn more about the history of Canon Law from Professor Kenneth Pennington of the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law.

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On November 27, 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his will, creating the Nobel Prize. Learn more about the history of the Nobel Prize and the Nobel Commission.