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33 Days and Still No Answer. What Was Done to Rade Markovic?
by Jared Israel
[Posted 29 August 2002]
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On July 26th Slobodan Milosevic cross-examined Rade Markovic, former head of the Security Police of Serbia and the most important prosecution witness to date in his so-called trial.
The testimony was stunning. Markovic had been touted as the insider who would finger Milosevic. Instead, calmly, thoughtfully, he refuted the prosecution case, including statements which had been attributed to him by Hague "investigators". And then, with so-called Judge Richard May violating the so-called tribunal's own official rules in an attempt to prevent Milosevic from getting into the area of the abuse of Markovic during the so-called investigation, the Yugoslav leader managed to ask the former Police chief:
[Start Excerpt]
"Slobodan Milosevic: Is it true that this statement that has been presented about the mopping up of the terrain [supposedly to hide war crimes...] was drafted precisely by the same people and under the sponsorship of those people who exerted pressure on you and who have been torturing you for one year and a half now?
Markovic: Yes. It's an interview with the same people."
[End Excerpt]
Not only is Mr. May supposed to protect witnesses from harassment under the Tribunal's own Rule 75 (1) but Rule 77 states that a judge may take punitive action if anyone:
"(iv) threatens, intimidates, causes any injury or offers a bribe to, or otherwise interferes with, a witness who is giving, has given, or is about to give evidence in proceedings before a Chamber, or a potential witness." (2)
But Mr. Markovic testified that the Belgrade associates of the "tribunal" had indeed illegally removed him from jail and offered him a bribe or a jail sentence, depending on whether he helped them frame Milosevic. And later, when Mr. Markovic answered "Yes," that these same people who fabricated his supposed testimony had "exerted pressure and...[had] been torturing" him for a year and a half - when Markovic said yes to this, Richard May did...nothing.
Was Markovic indeed tortured to give false testimony? If so, *how* was he tortured? Was it mental? Physical? Both are considered torture under the UN "Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment" (3).
Only a small part of the mainstream media has reported that Mr. Markovic contradicted the prosecution. And the key question remains to be asked by the media or public officials in any of the NATO countries or at The Hague: *What was done to Rade Markovic*?
Last week I called the "tribunal" and questioned a Mr. Blewitt, one of the deputy prosecutors. The conversation will be posted shortly as a sound file. As you will see, in that conversation Mr. Blewitt took the position that if Markovic accused the Hague "tribunal" of pressuring and torturing him, then there was, and I quote, "nothing to investigate."
Nothing to investigate?
Last week I was interviewed by phone by Bill Hayton of the BBC World News Service. Mr. Hayton took part of my interview and combined it with part of an interview with someone from the pro-NATO Institute for War Peace Reporting, thus creating a kind of a debate.
Mr. Hayton was fair, giving me and the IWPR equal space.
However my central point, having to do with the abuse of Markovic, was omitted.
Moreover, near the top of their web page, the BBC placed a picture of two weeping women, presumably Albanians, with the caption, "War crimes have been proved, but not the Milosevic link." (4)
But as I said in the interview, what does it prove to produce witnesses from the terrorist Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) or people like CIA man William Walker to accuse Milosevic? The prosecution's *prize* witness - Rade Markovic, head of the security police during the NATO bombing - not only rejected his "own" statements but indicated they had been obtained under conditions of "pressure and torture."
Here is the link to the RealPlayer file of my full interview with the BBC:
http://emperors-clothes.com/audio/bbc823.htm
And here is the link to the BBC text, as published, so you can compare them.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/2220997.stm
Tomorrow we'll send the Emperor's Clothes email list the full transcript of the BBC interview.
Below is a small part of the transcript of Milosevic's cross-examination of Rade Markovic. The Markovic-Milosevic exchange goes on for quite a while. To watch the video of the this particular part, plus a bit more to provide context, go to the *2 hour* (2:00) mark of the RealPlayer file at
http://hague.bard.edu/video/icty_env.20020726.ram
Our partial transcript of the cross-examination follows.
-- Jared Israel
PART OF TRANSCRIPT OF SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC'S INTERVIEW WITH RADE MARKOVIC
Slobodan Milosevic: Is it not true that you were arrested only so that by exerting pressure against you, they could accuse me.
Rade Markovic: Yes, that's why they arrested me.
Slobodan Milosevic: Here when you talked to two committees of the parliament of Yugoslavia you say, they asked me to accuse Slobodan Milosevic and to admit to criminal acts and to say that I was instructed by S. Milosevic, thereof.
Is that correct?
Rade Markovic: *That's correct I was told that in that case I would not be the one who would be held accountable but that I could choose a country where I could live and that I would get a new identity and that it was indispensable to accuse you so that you would be tried in the country.* [Our emphasis]
Slobodan Milosevic: So that I could be tried in the country so that they would not have to sustain the shame of extraditing me to The Hague, is that right?
Rade Markovic: I assumed that that was the reason.
...[*We skipped over some of the testimony here*]
Slobodan Milosevic: *Do you know that in 1988 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted by consensus a Declaration Against Torture and that such treatment that you were subjected to is explicitly forbidden by this declaration as well as forcing statements from detainees, extortion and such things*? [Our emphasis]
Richard May: ...*doesn't appear to have any relevance to the evidence which this witness has given here. None at all. [Voice rising] He's been agreeing with you, he has been agreeing with the matters you put to him and we are not certainly going to litigate here what happened in Yugoslavia when he was arrested. What we're concerned with as you know is events in Kosovo.* [Our emphasis]
Slobodan Milosevic: Mr. May the conduct of a puppet regime in Belgrade is completely identical to the false indictment - [*microphone is turned off*]
Richard May: Precisely the point which we're not going to consider. Now have you got any more relevant questions for this witness or we'll move on. [Note: At this point, Richard May spoke to Branislav Tapuskovic, one of the court-appointed and NATO-friendly so-called amicae curiae] Mr. Tapuskovic do you have any more questions of this witness?
Slobodan Milosevic: Of course I have more questions. I have many more questions.
Richard May: How much more do you think you will need Mr. Tapuskovic?
Branislav Tapuskovic: Your honor, I will try to do what I have to do within 15 minutes.
Richard May: Yes Mr. Milosevic move on to some other topic.
Slobodan Milosevic: All right, is it true that inciting somebody to false testimony and false accusations is a criminal act under our law. [*Microphone is cut again*]
Richard May: *Which [i.e., Milosevic's attempt to raise the issue of Markovic's mistreatment] has been ruled against. Now you'll have to deal with his evidence. Do you challenge, for instance, do you challenge for instance the meeting at which it was said you were at and the mopping up of the terrain. If so you should put that.* [our emphasis]
Slobodan Milosevic: *Mr. May. I am asking precisely that question. Is it true that this statement that has been presented about the mopping up of the terrain was drafted precisely by the same people and under the sponsorship of those people who exerted pressure on you and who have been torturing you for one year and a half now?* [our emphasis]
Markovic: *Yes. It's an interview with the same people.* [our emphasis]
***
**** Further Reading ****
(1) The Hague "tribunal's" Rule 75 can be read at
http://www.un.org/icty/basic/rpe/IT32_rev22.htm#75
(2) The Hague "tribunal's" Rule 77 can be read at
http://www.un.org/icty/basic/rpe/IT32_rev22.htm#77
(3) For the UN Convention Against Torture go to
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/h_cat39.htm
(4) If you want your worst fears confirmed, read the following article. In it you will discover an amazing consistency in the subjects of the winning photos in the top photography contests in 1998, 1999 and 2000. You'll never guess what they were...
"Art in the New World Order," by 'A News Photographer'
http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/artinthe.htm
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