Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) started publication and distribution of the volumes containing transcripts from the trial of Slobodan Milosevic in BCS languages, which represents the third phase of the project “Transfer of The Hague Documentation and the Creation of the Transcript Archives in BCS Languages – Trial of Slobodan Milosevic”. The first stage involves transfer of the Hague documentation (video recording of the trial session in the DVD format and photocopying of evidence and additional documentation), while the second stage is transcript production and redaction of transcripts in BCS languages.
Eleven volumes have been published so far with respect to the Prosecution’s case in chief in the Kosovo indictment against Milosevic. After the distribution of the first 11 volumes which is currently underway, the HLC will publish and distribute the next 15 transcript volumes containing the Defense’s case in chief, including the transcript from the trial session held on March 14, 2006 when the case against Slobodan Milosevic was officially closed due to his death.
The decision to publish and distribute the volumes containing transcripts with regards to the Prosecution’s case in chief in the Kosovo indictment first, together with the transcripts of those sessions when Milosevic personally presented his evidence, was made because a major part of Milosevic’s defense was about the Kosovo indictment.
After these 26 volumes which rounded the Kosovo indictment, the HLC will publish and distribute volumes containing transcripts related to the Prosecution’s case in chief in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina indictments.
Out of these 26 transcript books, HLC will give ten sets each to the War Crimes Trial Chamber and the Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor of the Belgrade District Court, and to the library of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, two sets each to the War Crimes Investigation Unit of the Republic of Serbia, to courts and offices of the prosecutor throughout Serbia and Kosovo, the National Library of the Republic of Serbia, to the University Library “Svetozar Markovic”, government institutions of the Republic of Serbia and Kosovo and to various libraries. One set each will be distributed to Parliamentary political parties in Serbia and those who express interest in receiving this material.
The transcript collection from the trial to Slobodan Milosevic will make it possible for all interested parties to find out more about the indictment brought against Slobodan Milosevic and about evidence the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICTY presented to the Chamber, as well as the evidence presented by Milosevic himself.
