How Milosevic death sets back justice

Milosevic's death also rules out any hope that a verdict in his case would encourage ordinary Serbs to face up to what ethnic Serb militias did during the Balkan wars in Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo. "The Serbs are still in a culture of denial" about the crimes their forces committed, says Mr. Chen, and the lack of a clear conclusion to the Milosevic trial "has dealt a devastating blow" to those hoping to change the culture.

More than 50 percent of Serbs cannot name a single Serb war crime, Mr. Bogosavljevic's polls have found: Either they do not remember the massacres, or they do not consider them crimes.

"The only thing that would help" to change that outlook "is a good and effective process in The Hague," says Bogosavljevic. "That hasn't happened. After four years on the TV every day, people think the trial is an endless process that can't prove anything. The feeling is that if they [the prosecution] had anything, it would be over by now."

Dr. Lyon adds that "what should have been the most important case resulting from the breakup of the former Yugoslavia has now ended in a stalemate that favors Milosevic's propaganda."

It's likely the case would have had more impact in Serbia had it not dragged on so long, which is one of "the lessons that need to be drawn about conducting these kinds of trials," says Richard Dicker, head of the international justice program at Human Rights Watch.

"The prosecution has to focus on the most important representative crimes," he argues, and judges "have to balance respect for the right of an accused to defend himself with the interests of justice in conducting an efficient proceeding." Milosevic's insistence on defending himself - refusing legal counsel - held up the trial on a number of occasions for weeks at a time when he was unwell.

Ms. del Ponte said Sunday she folded all 66 counts against Milosevic into one indictment because "it is not only a question of conviction ... it is a question of truth. It is important for the victims that they have full knowledge of what happened."

Forthcoming trials of Milosevic's lieutenants, she added, would provide "the opportunity for the prosecution to fully explain what happened."

Former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic was found dead Saturday in his cell in The Hague, where he was on trial for war crimes.

• 1989 Milosevic becomes president of Serbia; strips Kosovo of autonomy

• 1991 Milosevic urges Serbs in Croatia to take up arms

• 1992 UN cease-fire in Croatia; Bosnia-Herzegovina declares independence

• 1995 Bosnian war ends; NATO authorizes troop deployment

• 1996 Opposition wins run offs in most local elections; elections annulled

• 1997 Milosevic named Yugoslav president

• 1998 Milosevic sends troops to crush Albanians in Kosovo

• 1999 NATO airstrikes begin; Milosevic indicted for war crimes; Yugoslavia agrees to UN control of Kosovo

• 2000 Yugoslavs vote directly for president for first time; Milosevic ousted

• 2001 Milosevic flown to The Hague to face war-crimes charges

• 2002 Trial begins

• 2005 Trial adjourns due to Milosevic's health

• 2006 January - Trial reopens

Feb. 24 - Tribunal rejects his request for medical treatment in Russia

March 11 - Milosevic found dead

Source: Associated Press

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