Former Yugoslav President to Face Single Trial

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, February 02, 2002

Former Yugoslav President to Face Single Trial

Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic will be tried on charges relating to the Kosovan, Bosnian and Croatian wars in one single trial, the war crimes tribunal in The Hague ruled Friday.

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Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic will be tried on charges relating to the Kosovan, Bosnian and Croatian wars in one single trial, the war crimes tribunal in The Hague ruled Friday.

The decision to hold a single trial is a victory for prosecutors who had argued against an earlier ruling which would have separated the Kosovo charges from other accusations.

The trial, which is due to begin on February 12, is expected to be one of the most complex cases in post-war legal history. The prosecution had argued in favor of a single trial on the basis that witnesses would have to testify only once.

Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte has also stressed that a single trial will benefit the victims and their families. "It is very important for the victims to have a single trial because they can hear all the facts in the same procedure and see justice done at the same time," she was quoted as saying.

In December, the lower chamber of the tribunal had decided that the Kosovo allegations were too disconnected from the other charges to merit a single trial. But this week the prosecution successfully argued that Milosevic's alleged crimes in all three conflicts were part of a master plan to create a greater Serbia, according to reports reaching here.

Milosevic has said he does not recognize the legitimacy of the U.N. tribunal or the charges against him. "By adding up three lies you will not get to the truth, you will enlarge the lie," he said during Wednesday's hearing on whether to hold a single trial.

The former president faces a total of 66 counts of crimes against humanity, violating the laws and regulations of war, and genocide. If found guilty, he could face life sentence.

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