Milosevic "trial" blows up in Hague Prosecutor's face

by Jared Israel and Nico Varkevisser (at The Hague)*

Today, as we prepared to post an article about the utter hypocrisy of The 
Hague "tribunal's" concern for Slobodan Milosevic's health, this "trial of 
the century" exploded and died.

Now the question is, will it linger in death?

The "tribunal" passed away during the testimony of Rade Markovic, former 
head of the Department of State Security of the Serbian Ministry of the 
Interior (the Serbian Secret Service). Markovic was cross-examined today, 
July 26, by Slobodan Milosevic.

Mind you, the prosecution called Mr Markovic to testify. He was "their" 
witness. That is, for some reason they expected him to testify in their 
favour. And yet, he testified against them.

1) Mr Markovic testified that the Milosevic government did not try 
to drive ethnic Albanians out of Kosovo during the NATO bombing. Quite the 
contrary:

"'I told (local officials) that presidential orders are that the flow of 
refugees must be stopped', Markovic said during cross-examination by 
Milosevic..." (AP, July 26 2002)

2) Mr Markovic testified that Milosevic came down hard on anti-Albanian 
hate crime:

"'More than 200 criminal charges were filed against members of the police, 
and I think a similar figure stands for the army,' said Markovic..." (AP, 
Ibid)

Some news wire services reported the above points while trying to downplay 
their significance.

Earlier, Mr Markovic had testified that starting in 1997 Mr Milosevic did 
not exercise direct, daily control of security police. This testimony was 
misreported in the press. We shall clarify that when we publish the 
transcripts of Mr Markovic's testimony, which will be soon.

But no wire service reported the most shocking revelation.

Prior to being brought to The Hague, Rade Markovic was held in a Belgrade 
jail for the past 17 months.

Today at The Hague, Mr Markovic testified that he was tortured in that jail 
to force him to agree to give false testimony against Slobodan Milosevic.

He also testified that the current Belgrade security police, who work in 
closest co-operation with "tribunal" prosecutors, offered him and his 
family a change of identity and a comfortable new life in a foreign land if 
he would lie against Slobodan Milosevic.

Mr Markovic said that, at one point, pro-NATO Serbian Interior Minister 
Mihailovic and his Secret Police chief, Goran Petrovic, showed up at the 
jail with a squad of secret police.

Mr Markovic said they removed him from the facility — itself a violation 
of Serbian law — and took him to a private dinner where they made him the 
offer of a new identity with a luxury life — and no more torture — in 
exchange for false testimony.

The torture and the bribes would explain why the Prosecution had reason to 
believe Mr Markovic was "their" witness.

Stunned to see Markovic defy him, Prosecutor Jeffrey Nice (sic!) asked so-
called judge Richard May to do something to stop it. And May did try, 
interrupting the cross-examination to argue that since "We are talking 
about Kosovo", the issue of Markovic being tortured to give false testimony 
(about Milosevic's role in Kosovo) was irrelevant.

As of this writing, not one English-language wire service has reported 
Markovic's shattering accusations or the amazing response of "judge" May.

Why not?

Could it be because there is no way for them to spin these charges in 
favour of the "tribunal" ...And thus the charges can't be mentioned.

Doesn't this support our own charge, that the Western media has been the 
agent of a massive anti-Yugoslav disinformation campaign? Is there any 
other way to explain their not mentioning that the head of Milosevic's 
secret service was called to testify against Milosevic and instead 
testified that he had been tortured to lie?

Who is credible and who is not?

What we find in the wire services is negative spin about Markovic and a 
blackout regarding his torture, and lies.

Dick Dicker from Human Rights Watch — which, from our direct observation 
at The Hague, virtually runs the "tribunal" — told Agence France Presse 
that Markovic's testimony "lacked credibility".

Ahh, is that so, Mr Dicker?

If Rade Markovic so lacks credibility, why did your "tribunal" call him as 
a prosecution witness? Indeed, why did they call him as the last 
prosecution witness before the summer break?

Didn't your side call him because they thought he was theirs? Now, why 
would they think such a thing, Mr Dicker?

Rade Markovic was never Slobodan Milosevic's political opponent.

So why was your "tribunal" so confident? Why was Mr Nice so surprised?

Doesn't it make sense that the "court" expected Rade Markovic to co-operate 
because, "It is understood that he has had certain experiences in jail and 
he knows what is in store for him — for the rest of his life — if he 
defies us." Perhaps the flunkies in Belgrade exaggerated the extent of 
their success persuading Markovic to co-operate. Flunkies will do that to 
impress the home office.

Is that why your associates trusted him to co-operate? And is that why you 
and they were stunned when he didn't, so now you must sputter about 
Markovic not being credible — and him your own witness!

Speaking of credibility, why wasn't Rade Markovic's stunning charge 
broadcast on TV in the West?

Why doesn't the media report that Rade Markovic named the two US/West 
European agents — Mihailovic and Petrovic — who oversaw his torture?

Why doesn't the media broadcast the news — the scoop! — that instead of 
ordering an immediate investigation and putting Mr Markovic under 
protection, instead of taking these minimal steps in accord with most basic 
justice, instead "judge" May told Markovic to stop wasting time with 
irrelevancies?

Doesn't "judge" May's reaction testify eloquently to the credibility of 
what Rade Markovic said?

And as for your own credibility, Mr Dicker, why don't you demand an 
investigation of this charge of torture in this "trial of the century"? 
Aren't you Human "Rights" Watch? And if you don't demand an investigation 
because you know" he's lying, why don't you share with the rest of us how 
it is that you know?

In the same dispatch as Dicker's "non-credible" remark, Agence France 
Presse reported that:

"Markovic has been temporarily released from prison in Serbia in order to 
testify at the trial." (AFP, 16 July 2002)

This is called lying by half-truth. AFP left out the fact that Mr Markovic 
is now being held in Scheveningen, where the Nazis tortured leading members 
of the Dutch Resistance during World War II.

So tonight Rade Markovic is at the mercy of those whom he defied.

As we shall document in a forthcoming article about the unbelievable 
"suicide" of Slavko Dokmanovic, Serbian leaders have died under suspicious 
circumstances while incarcerated at The Hague. In giving this testimony, 
Rade Markovic has risked torture and death.

And what did he gain? A nice job with Milosevic? Good treatment for his 
family in a Belgrade now controlled by NATO and the Western secret 
services? Rade Markovic had nothing whatsoever to gain in making these 
charges and he had everything to lose.

His action today went beyond mere credibility. It was magnificent.

* * *

* Both Jared Israel and Nico Varkevisser are journalists for Emperor's 
Clothes:  http://www.emperors_clothes.comor http://www.tenc.net