The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) at The Hague has decided against the Law to impose a counsel on former President of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic. It has been done against the will of Slobodan Milosevic, who more than two years conducts his defense in person.
The decision of ICTY severely violates its own Statute, which (Article 21, paragraph 4) guarantees the right of a defendant to defend himself in person. It is a generally accepted norm of the International Law and the fact that the ICTY has committed such most serious violation, raises the deepest embitterment.
The assigned counsel has got the right to prepare and examine witnesses whom he, a lawyer, finds appropriate to invite. In other words, all the important decisions on strategy and tactics of the defense will be made not by the defendant, but by the lawyer assigned by the court and whose impartiality is considered doubtful by the Russian public opinion. Several legal experts consider that Slobodan Milosevic didn't get an assigned counsel, but another prosecutor who will only act using other means.
Slobodan Milosevic invited me to appear as a witness of his defense. I have planned to travel to The Hague on 13 September 2004. The ICTY has been informed about my plans.
However, under the present circumstances, I refuse to appear in that process.
As soon as necessary conditions, in accordance to the Statute of ICTY, will be created, I will be ready to travel to The Hague and to appear as a witness of the defense of Slobodan Milosevic.
Moscow, 7 September 2004
Nikolai Ryzhkov
Member of the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the
Russian Federation (Senator), President of Council of Ministers of the USSR 1985-1990