From the NY Times, U.N. Court Faces Fairness Issue at Milosevic Trial:

More than three years into the trial, the judges have warned that Mr. Milosevic has now used up close to 75 percent of his allotted time and that he will get no extension.

But the former Yugoslav president, who acts as his own defense lawyer, has barely addressed one-third of the charges against him and has demanded more time to do so. After presenting his first 40 witnesses, he has given the court a list of 199 more witnesses, "the absolute minimum" he said he needed to lay out the rest of his case. The list, he told the judges, had been pared down from 1,630 names.

Some lawyers at the United Nations tribunal say that the judges may have little choice but to give Mr. Milosevic more time. The trial, which began in February 2002, has already set a record for longevity in international law. In keeping with the present schedule, it is expected to conclude in March 2006. But under Mr. Milosevic's new plan, it could go on for another year or more.

Mr. Milosevic has focused thus far only on the 1999 war in Kosovo, the Serbian province, for which he faces charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. But he also faces a long list of charges of killing and torture in Croatia and two counts of genocide in Bosnia.

Also from the Times, U.S. Marines Held in Rape ("Five United States marines who participated in joint counterterrorism exercises were barred from leaving the Philippines after being accused of raping a woman they met at a disco near Subic Bay, the former naval base, officials said. Philippine authorities briefly delayed the departure of the amphibious assault ship Essex while searching for the marines accused of assaulting a 22-year-old woman. They were placed under the custody of the American Embassy for investigation."); and House Delays Vote on U.S. Treatment of Terrorism Suspects.

From the Washington Post, British Soldiers Acquitted ("A judge dismissed charges against seven British soldiers accused of murdering an Iraqi civilian, ruling that some Iraqi witnesses lied and that there was insufficient evidence to proceed.").

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Posted by Centrist to JAG CENTRAL at 11/04/2005 07:08:00 AM