International Criminal Tribunal Sets Milosevic Case Deadline

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, May 21, 2003

International Criminal Tribunal Sets Milosevic Case Deadline

Judges at International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) set prosecutors a 100-day deadline on Tuesday to complete the case on Slobodan Milosevic.

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Judges at International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) set prosecutors a 100-day deadline on Tuesday to complete the case on Slobodan Milosevic.

Considering a summer break and rest days, the ICTY ruling effectively means prosecutors must end their case against the former Yugoslav president before the end of December.

Milosevic, accused by the Hague-based court of genocide, crimesagainst humanity and war crimes in the Balkans in the 1990s, is defending himself. The deadline raises the prospect of him launching his defense early next year.

The trial, which started in February 2002, has been adjourned several times because of Milosevic's frequent illness. It has heard evidence from more than 180 witnesses covering three conflicts spanning almost a decade in the Balkans.

In a written ruling, Judges ordered prosecutors to finish calling more than 170 witnesses within 100 days in court from May 16. The tribunal takes a three-week break in August and also takesregular breaks to allow Milosevic to rest.

The ICTY prosecutors earlier this month appealed for more time after telling judges they could not meet a deadline set last year to wrap up the case this month.

"The trial chamber has come to the conclusion that it would be in the interests of justice to allow some variation in the time limit to allow the prosecution more time to call further witnessesit regards as essential," judges said in the ruling.

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