SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC

IN POWER 1997-2000
YUGOSLAVIA
SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC WAS BORN IN 1941 IN POZERIVAC,
THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA. HE WAS THE SECOND SON OF A
FORMER ORTHODOX PRIEST FROM MONTENEGRO AND A
SERBIAN COMMUNIST SCHOOLMISTRESS. BOTH OF HIS
PARENTS COMMITED SUICIDE , FATHER IN 1962 AND
MOTHER IN 1973.
HE GRADUATED FROM THE FACULTY OF LAW, UNIVERSITY
OF BELGRADE IN 1964.WHILE ATTENDING HIS HIGH SCHOOL
IN POZERIVAC HE MEET HIS FUTURE WIFE ,
MIRJANA MARKOVIC. A DOCTRINAIRE MARXIST WHO IS
ALSO KNOWN AS THE ‘RED WITCH’ AND THE ‘LADY
MACBETH OF THE BALKANS’.AND IS A FULL PROFESSOR AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE .THE COUPLE GOT MARRIED
IN 1965.
SLOBODAN STARTED HIS BUSINESS CAREER AS AN
ECONOMIC ADVISOR TO THE MAYOR OF THE BELGRADE.
FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS HE HAS BEEN THE GENERAL
MANAGER OF THE WELL KNOWN YUGOSLAVIC ENTERPRISE
‘TEHNOGAS’ AND AFTER THAT HE BECAME THE PRESIDENT
OF ‘BEOGRADSKA BANK’, THE LARGEST BANK IN SERBIA
AND YUGOSLAVIA.
HE ENTERED POLITICS BY BECOMING THE LEADER OF THE
LOCAL BELGRADE COMMUNIST PARTY. HIS DIRECT STYLE
AND ADVOCACY OF SERBIAN NATIONALISM APPEALED TO
THE SEBIAN PUBLIC.
HE WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT OF SERBIA FOR THE FIRST
TIME IN 1989.IN MULTIPARTY ELECTIONS HELD IN
DECEMBER NONCOMMUNIST GROUPS WIN GOVERNMENT IN
BOTH CROATIA AND SLOVENIA WHILE MILOSEVIC IS
RETURNED TO THE OFFICE IN SERBIA WITH HUGE
MAJORITY. THEN HE WAS REELECTED AS SERBIAN
PRESIDENT IN 1992.
IN 1997 , CONSTITUTIONALLY BARRED FROM A THIRD TERM
AS SERBIA’s PRESIDENT.MILOSEVIC BECAME THE
PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA
(SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO) IN JULY SERVING UNTIL
2000.AS PRESIDENT HE AUTOMATICALLY BECAME THE
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE FEDERAL ARMED FORCES.
IN 1998, ETHNIC ALBANIANS LIVING IN THE SERBIAN
PROVINCE OF KOSOVO RECOMMENCE THEIR CAMPAIGN FOR
INDEPENDENCE. THE SITUATION GOT OUT OF HAND AND
SOON BECAME A CONFLICT BETWEEN FEDERAL ARMED
FORCES (SERBIAN ARMY) AND GUERRILLA KOSOVO
LIBERATION ARMY (KLA).
IN SEPTEMBER THE UN SECURITY COUNSIL ADOPTED A
RESOLUTION CALLING FOR AN IMMEDIATE CEASE-FIRE IN
KOSOVO. WHEN THE NATO AUTHORITIES AIR STRIKED THE
SERBIAN ARMY MILOSEVIC BACKED UP AND REMOVED
SOME OF THE SERBIAN ARMY FROM KOSOVO.
IN 1999 HE REFUSED TO GIVE AUTONOMY TO KOSOVO AND
LAUNCHED A MAJOR OFFENCE AGAINST KLA. ON 24 MARCH
NATO STARTED A PROLONGE SERIES OF AIR STIKES
AGAINST SERBIA.MILOSEVIC COUNTERSTRIKED BY
RUNNING A PROGRAM OF ETHENIC CLEANSING OF
KOSOVO-ALBANIANS AND AS A RESULT HUNDEREDS OF
THOUSANDS KOSOVO-ALBANIANS WERE FORCED TO
BECOME REFUGEES
IM MAY OF 1999 THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL
FOR THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA AT THE HAGUE INDICED
MILOSEVIC WITH WAR CRIMES AND CRIMES AGAINST
HUMANITY COMMITED IN KOSOVO.
THE NATO CONTINUED BOMBARDING FOR THE NEXT 78
DAYS UNTIL MILOSEVIC CAPITULATED IN EARLY
JUNE.SERBIAN FORCES WERE WITHDRAWN AND UN
PEACEMAKERS WERE SENT IN .BUT UNTIL THAT TIME UPTO
10,OOO HAVE DIED , THOUSANDS ARE MISSING AND
740,000ETHINIC ALBANIANS WERE EXILED.
IN JULY OF 1999 IT WAS REPORTED THAT PRESIDENT
BILL CLINTON HAS AUTHORISED CIA TO COVERT AND
OVERT MEASURE AND BRING DOWN MILOSEVIC.
ACCORDING TO THE TIME MAGAZINE THESE MEASURES
COULD INCLUDE DISRUPTION OF MILOSEVIC PRIVATE
FINANCIAL TRANSACTION AND UPBRINGING OF PUBLICS
SENTIMENTS AGAINST HIM WITH IN YUGOLSAVIA. THE
OPPOSITION PARTIES WITHIN SERBIA RECEIVED
SUBSTANCIAL FUNDING FROM THE US AND US $5 MILLION
WAS OFFERED AS REWARD FOR ANY KIND OF INFORMATION
LEADING TO THE CONVICT OR ARREST OF MILOSEVIC.
MEANWHILE A CIA PSYCHIATRIC PROFILE OF MILOSEVIC
CONCLUDED THAT HE HAS “A MALIGNANT NARCISSISTIC
PERSONALITY, STRONGLY SELFCENTRED, VAIN AND FULL
OF SELF LOVE.”
IN THE ELECTIONS OF YEAR 2000 HELD ON 24 SEPTEMBER,
MILOSEVIC WAS DEFEATED BY THE DEMOCRATIC
OPPOSITION OF THE SERBIA WHICH WAS A COALITION OF 18
PARTIES LED BY VOJISLAV KOSTONICA,BUT MELOSEVIC
REFUSED TO ACCEPT THE RESULTS AND CALED A RUN-OFF
ELECTIONS. THE OPPOSITION TURNED TO THE PUBLIC
ASKING THEM TO FORCE MILOSEVIC TO ACCEPT THE
RESULTS, WHICH RESULTED IN A MASS DEMONSTRATION
LED BY THE STUDENT ORGANISATION OTPOR AND A
GENERAL STRIKE LED BY COAL MINERS. FACING SUCH
SITUATIONS AND WITH RUSSIA BACKING KOSTONICA,
MILOSEVIC AGREES TO STEP DOWN.AND KOSTUNICA
BECOMES THE NEW PRESIDENT ON 7 OCTOBER.
MILOSEVIC WAS ARRESTED AND IMPRISONED BY THE SERB
GOVERNMENT ON 1 APRIL 2001,ON CHARGES OF ABUSE OF
POWER , CORRUPTION, SMUGGLING OF GOLD AND FOR THE
ASSASSINATION OF POLITICAL OPPONENTS.
HE WAS CHARGED WITH THE MURDER OF 900 KOSOVO-
ALBANIANS AND FOR THE DEPORTATION OF 740,000.
HE IS THE FIRST HESD OF STATE EVER BEEN BROUGHT
BEFORE AN INTERNATIONAL WAR CRIMES COURT.
AT THE END OF NOVEMBER 2001 HE WAS ALSO CHARGED
WITH THE ACT OF GENOCIDE COMMITED DURING THE WAR
OF BOSNIA.
12 FEBURARY,2002 .MILOSEVIC TRIALS BEGAN AT THE
HAGUE. HE FACED TOTAL 66 COUNTS OF CRIMES AGAINST
HUMANITY AND VOILATION OF LAWS AND FOR THE
REGULATION OF WAR IN CROATIA(1991),BOSNIA-
HERZIGOVINA(1992-95)AND KOSOVO (1999) INCLUDING ONE
COUNT OF GENOCIDE. HIS INDICMENTS WERE MERGED TO
ALLOW ONE CONTINUOUS HEARING, WITH THOSE
RELATING TO KOSOVO TO BE HEARD FIRST.
MOST OF HIS CRIMES CARRIED LIFE SENTENCE BUT THERE
WAS NO DEATH PENALTY.HE WAS ALLOWED THE RIGHT TO
APPEAL AND WAS ALLOWED ADVANCE AND FULL
DISCLOSURE TO THE PROSECUTION EVIDENCE.
THERE WAS APANEL OF 3 INTERNATIONAL JUDGES WHO
WILL HEAR THE TRIAL, THERE WAS NO JURY.
MILOSEVIC HAD A LAW DEGREE AND SO REFUSED TO
ENTER A PLEA AND CONDUCTED HIS DEFENCE BY HIMSELF.
BUT THE TRIAL JUDGES ENTERED A PLEA ON HIS BEHALF
AND APPOINTED 3 INTERNATIONAL LAWYERS TO MAKE
SURE THAT MILOSEVIC GETS A FAIR TRIAL.
ON 25 JULY,2002. THE HAGUE REVEALS THAT MILOSAVIC’s
DOCTORS HAVE FOUND THAT HE SUFFERS FROM HIGH
BLOOD PRESSURE AND A HEART CONDITION. THE TRIALS
WERE INTERRUPTED MANY TIMES DUE TO MILOSEVIC’s ILL
HEALTH.
ON 19 ,JANUARY2003. MELOSEVIC WAS REELECTED AS
PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIALIST PARTY OF SERBIA (SPS).BUT
HE ASKED TO GIVE THE POST TO SOMEONE ELSE.