Milosevic's legacy

The world got to see the final fall of the man who ruled over Serbia for 12 years when a photo was published showing a guard escorting Slobodan Milosevic to a Dutch prison on June 28, 2001. The prisoner would be transferred to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague to face charges of war crimes, including genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Observers at the time registered their surprise that Milosevic's extradition did not trigger any large-scale protests in Serbia, where for years he had enjoyed immense popularity. Much of the population supported his aggressive, nationalistic policies that ultimately led to war in the former Yugoslavia. Aided by a splintered opposition, he easily won several elections. In September 2000, an alliance of parties called the Democratic Opposition of Serbia won early elections and Vojislav Kostunica took office after weeks of public protest calling for Milosevic to accept the poll's results.

'Though Kostunica was opposed to handing Milosevic over to The Hague, the new Prime Minister Zoran Dindic called for Milosevic's arrest and eventual extradition in June 2001. Many in Serbia remain convinced that the decision to arrest the former president led to Dindic's assassination, thought to have been committed by elite soldiers loyal to Milosevic and elements of the Serbian mafia.

Defiant defendant

Milosevic's trial in the Hague began on February 12, 2002. As a trained lawyer, the defendant represented himself. Some five years later - before the court could rule on the case - Milosevic died in custody of a heart attack on March 11, 2006.

'The first leading Serbian politician to answer to crimes at the ICTY, Milosevic was followed by other politicians and high-ranking officers in the Serbian army. Unlike their former leader, many of them received prison sentences for their roles in war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Having located and arrested a number of suspects wanted by the ICTY, many in Serbia feel they have now met the ICTY's demands, according to Natasa Kandic, head of the Humanitarian Law Center, a Belgrade-based human rights organization.

Milosevic's legacy

Many in Serbia still have a positive view of Milosevic, according to Vojin Dimitrijevic, director of the Center for Human Rights.

"It may have been a major mistake at the time to broadcast the trial from The Hague live without any form of critical remarks in the naïve belief that people would learn something from it," he said, adding that the trial actually increased Milosevic's popularity.

"It's very hard to admit that many people in your country were at fault and led by a man who was compared to Serbia's greatest sons," Dimitrijevic said.

Just two years after Milosevic's death, the Socialist Party of Serbia, which Milosevic led, was back in power, and currently plays an important role in the coalition governing the country.

"We are currently being led by more or less extreme nationalists," Dimitrijevic said. "The Hague tribunal is predominantly regarded as a foreign and unlawful court."

Processing the past

The ICTY's work, however, remains important for Serbia as well as for all of Southeast Europe, Kandic said. Documentation of the war crimes committed as well as the legal judgments made by the tribunal will facilitate the creation of a regional commission dedicated to preserving the facts of the war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Yugoslavia conflict.

"Documents and factual judgments will remain, even when the tribunal in The Hague is dissolved," she said. "These documents are important and valuable. They will continue to aggravate officials and the public and be the best weapon in the process of coming to terms with the past."

Kandic said that process would likely be a long one, but added it was necessary "to prevent such horrible crimes and destruction with more than 100,000 victims from ever repeating in the Balkans."

Authors: Dinko Gruhonjic, Ivan Djerkovic / ss
Editor: Neil King