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www.tenc.net * [Emperor's Clothes]

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33 Days and Still No Answer. What Was Done to Rade Markovic?
by Jared Israel
[Posted 29 August 2002]
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On July 26th Slobodan Milosevic cross-examined Rade Markovic, former head of the Security Police of Serbia and the most important prosecution witness to date in this so-called trial.

The testimony was stunning. Markovic had been touted as the insider who would finger Milosevic. Instead, calmly, thoughtfully, he refuted the prosecution case, including statements which had been attributed to him by Hague "investigators". And then, with so-called Judge Richard May violating the so-called tribunal's own official rules in an attempt to prevent Milosevic from dealing with the abuse of Markovic during the so-called investigation in Belgrade, the Yugoslav leader managed to ask the former Police chief:

[Start Excerpt]

"Slobodan Milosevic: Is it true that this statement that has been presented about the mopping up of the terrain [supposedly to hide war crimes...] was drafted precisely by the same people and under the sponsorship of those people who exerted pressure on you and who have been torturing you for one year and a half now?

Markovic: Yes. It's an interview with the same people."

[End Excerpt]

Not only is Mr. May supposed to protect witnesses from harassment under the Tribunal's own Rule 75, (1) but Rule 77 states that a judge may take punitive action if any person:

"(iv) threatens, intimidates, causes any injury or offers a bribe to, or otherwise interferes with, a witness who is giving, has given, or is about to give evidence in proceedings before a Chamber, or a potential witness." (2)

Doesn't the above describe what Rade Markovic has affirmed? Didn't he affirm that The Hague's Belgrade associates had illegally removed him from his jail cell and then had given him the choice: help frame Mr. Milosevic and get a bribe or refuse and go to jail?

And later, when Mr. Markovic affirmed that the same people who fabricated his supposed testimony had "exerted pressure and...[had] been torturing" him for a year and a half - when Markovic said yes, this had happened, what did this judge, Richard May, do? He did...nothing.

Was Markovic indeed tortured to give false testimony? If so, *how* was he tortured? Was it mental? Physical? Both are considered torture under the UN "Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment" (3).

Only a small part of the mainstream media has reported that Mr. Markovic repudiated the testimony that the prosecution claimed he had given. And the key question remains to be asked by the media or public officials in any of the NATO countries or at The Hague: *What was done to Rade Markovic*?

Last week I called the "tribunal" and questioned a Mr. Blewitt, one of the deputy prosecutors. The conversation will be posted shortly as a sound file. As you will see, in that conversation Mr. Blewitt took the position that if Markovic accused the Hague "tribunal" of pressuring and torturing him, then there was, and I quote Mr. Blewitt, "nothing to investigate."

Nothing to investigate?

Last week I was interviewed by phone by Bill Hayton of the BBC World News Service. Mr. Hayton took part of this interview and combined it with part of an interview with someone from the pro-NATO Institute for War Peace Reporting, thus creating a kind of debate. (3a) The article is called, "Analysis: Milosevic and the missing link."

Mr. Hayton was fair, giving me and the IWPR equal space in the BBC article.

However my central point, having to do with the abuse of Markovic, was not included.

ONE LIE, ONE FALSE ARGUMENT

Moreover, near the top of the article, as posted on the BBC web page, the editors have placed a picture of two weeping women, presumably Albanians. Pictures of weeping (presumably) Albanian women are de rigeur for news organizations who got class in the New World Order. (4)

Beneath this photo is the caption, "War crimes have been proved, but not the Milosevic link." This caption manages to cram a falsehood and an example of the "Do-you-still-beat-your-wife?" argument into one sentence, thus demonstrating the skill which has made the BBC Numero Uno.

The *falsehood* is that "[Yugoslav] war crimes have been proved." If that's true it's news to anyone who has with an open mind watched the proceedings at The Hague - a process made difficult by the "tribunal". You must either view it on video (5) or read the nearly impossible to locate transcripts (6).

(As you may recall, when the "trial" began, it was broadcast live worldwide on TV. But very soon it became obvious that Milosevic was turning the tables, providing real evidence that NATO, not the peoples of Yugoslavia, has caused the terrible destruction in his country. Quickly the broadcasts were cut back. As you may recall, CNN initially gave the excuse that the contents were too shocking. That of course had never stopped them before...Then the broadcasts were simply stopped, all around the world.)

WELL? DO YOU STILL BEAT YOUR WIFE?

Having asserted the lie that Yugoslav "war crimes have been proved," the caption adds, "but not *the* Milosevic link."

Note the use of the word, "the." In English the definite article implies that something is, well, definite. For instance if I say, "Take *the* car," you would understand that I have in mind some particular car. But if I tell you, "Take *a* car," it probably means I have in mind no particular car but am suggesting a mode of transportation.

So when they say, "War crimes have been proved, but not *the* Milosevic link," they are suggesting that such a link does indeed exist, it just hasn't been located yet.

If you read the full text of my BBC interview, you will see that it was precisely this false assumption which underlay the BBC's Mr. Hayton's questions and that it was precisely this false assumption that I identified, dissected and denied.

As I argued in the BBC interview, what does The Hague prove by producing witnesses from the terrorist Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)? Only that the "tribunal" is linked to terrorists. And what is proven by once again wheeling out that old standby, CIA operative William "The Diplomat" Walker, this time to accuse Milosevic of war crimes? What is the credibility of Mr. Walker, who coordinated Uncle Sugar's generous relations with the El Salvador death squads? (8) Whom will they produce next? Jack the Ripper?

Why can't The Hague find even one *normal* human being, not KLA or CIA or MI5, one bona fide Serb, believable in the role of war criminal, someone who for a few hundred or thousand dollars will convincingly say, "We Serbs are so vicious 'cause we got a persecution complex" and "Milosevic forced me to do it," etc. Or, failing that, and given the vast resources of NATO, why can't these paid-for-hire prosecutors and judges do a competent job of forcing someone to testify?

NIGHTSCAPE

On June 4, a prosecution witness, identified only as K12 (what a name!) had a fight with the "prosecutor," Mr. Nice, and with the so-called judges as well. Here's part of what he said:

"Please tell him, tell the Judge that I have had enough of this psychological processing for two days now, and I've been confused even more and more. I cannot testify on anyone's behalf today, and leave me alone. I'll go crazy this way!"
- Milosevic "trial" transcript, June 4, 2002 * p. 6197 (see footnote 6)

Going on to say that he'd rather be sent to jail than endure more mistreatment, K12 refused to testify further. Instead of ordering an investigation of what may have been done to this man - as is his duty under even the "tribunal's" rules - this "judge," Richard May, first authorized the prosecution to meet privately with K12 - a violation of the quite sensible legal prohibition against prosecutors coaching their witnesses during a trial - and then, when K12 still refused to testify, Richard May instructed Prosecutor Nice to file contempt charges!

A month later, the following exchange took place between Mr. Milosevic and faux judge May:

"SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC: ...I saw that you discussed the punishment of Witness K12 because he didn't want to testify. I wish to remind you of the existence of a declaration against torture that was adopted by the United Nations.

"JUDGE MAY: This is irrelevant to you. Absolutely nothing to do with you. The contempt proceedings -- the contempt proceedings are nothing to do with you and are between the Court and the witness."
- Milosevic "trial" transcript, July 2, 2002 * p. 7207 (See Footnote 6)

Please, Mama, wake me. I am having this terrible dream.

And nobody (outside The Hague) knows what has been done to this man. Do you understand? He was simply taken away. He had been given a code name (K12) "to protect" him, and now - and now, God only knows.

And of course the prosecution's *prize* witness - Rade Markovic, head of the security police of Serbia during the NATO bombing - not only rejected his "own" statements but testified that he had been subjected to a year and a half of "pressure and torture."

Here is the link to the RealPlayer file and the transcript of my full interview with the BBC:
http://emperors-clothes.com/audio/bbc823.htm

And here is the link to the BBC text, as published, so you can compare them.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/2220997.stm

Tomorrow we will send the Emperor's Clothes email list the full transcript of my BBC interview. (7)

We will also post part of the transcript of Milosevic's cross-examination of Rade Markovic.

The Markovic-Milosevic exchange goes on for quite a while. To watch the video of the section that deals with pressure and torture, plus a bit more to provide context, go to the *2 hour* (2:00) mark of the RealPlayer file at
http://hague.bard.edu/video/icty_env.20020726.ram

-- Jared Israel

***

**** Further Reading ****

(1) The Hague "tribunal's" Rule 75 can be read by going to
http://www.un.org/icty/basic/rpe/IT32_rev22.htm
and scrolling down to Rule 75

(2) The Hague "tribunal's" Rule 77 can be read by going to
http://www.un.org/icty/basic/rpe/IT32_rev22.htm#77
and scrolling down to Rule 77

(3) For the UN Convention Against Torture go to
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/h_cat39.htm

(3a) For the RealPlayer file and text of my full interview with the BBC fo to
http://emperors-clothes.com/audio/bbc823.htm

For the BBC article, "Analysis: Milosevic and the missing link," which includes part of my interview with the BBC, go to
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/2220997.stm

(4) If you want your worst fears confirmed, read the following article. In it you will discover an amazing consistency in the subjects of the winning photos in the top photography contests in 1998, 1999 and 2000. You'll never guess what they were...
"Art in the New World Order," by 'A News Photographer'
http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/artinthe.htm

5) You can view RealPlayer videos of the "trial", usually up-to-date, at
http://hague.bard.edu/video.html

6) If one were cynical one would think The Hague didn't want us to read the Milosevic transcripts. Here's a shortcut through their maze. Go to
http://www.un.org/icty/milosevic/garde.htm
Scroll down to the link to "transcripts." They only go up to July 22nd.

7) To subscribe to the Emperor's Clothes email list go to http://www.emperors-clothes.com/f.htm
You will receive texts posted at Emperor's Clothes

8) For more on William Walker, see "WILLIAM WALKER (ALIAS, MR. RACAK) AND HIS SALVADOR MASSACRE COVER-UP," at
http://www.icdsm.com/more/sixty.htm

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