Serbian Reporters are Next

Serge Brammertz, chief prosecutor of the Kangaroo Court for former Yugoslavia in Hague, Netherlands, also known as ICTY or simply The Hague Tribunal, has threatened by the possibility of pressing charges against the editor-in-chief of Belgrade daily Press, on the basis of “contempt of court”. The monstrous NATO “tribunal”, established to rewrite history, stigmatize Serbian nation and make Serbs tow the line along with everybody else, is threatening to punish chief editor of Belgrade daily with 100,000 euros fine and seven years in prison — all for some rather good investigative reporting.

Rewriting history and pinning the blame for Yugoslav civil war in the 1990s on Serbian nation, with the entire Serb political, military and police leadership being accused and sentenced to draconian prison terms for wanting to preserve Yugoslavia and for defending their land and ancestral homes against Western-sponsored secessionists, has turned to be insufficient in silencing the Serbs entirely and making them tow the NWO line just like everybody else. Criminal NATO pact, generously supported by the Serbian quislings it has brought to power, now appears to be bent on doing away with the last traces of freedom in Serbia, by taking out newspaper editors who dare to publish the inconvenient facts.

The reason chief editor of Press is being threatened by the NATO lawsuit is publishing the transcripts of wiretapped conversations Kosovo Albanian war criminal Fatmir Limaj lead during 2003 from the Hague detention unit.

Limaj Paid for the Hague Acquittal

KLA (UCK) thug Limaj was indicted by the Hague for war crimes committed during the NATO-backed Albanian armed insurrection against Yugoslav state in southern Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija (1997-1999) and subsequently acquitted. Serbian war crime prosecution recently announced pressing its charges against Limaj and 27 other KLA leaders for atrocities against Kosovo Serb civilians and war crimes that were not included in the ICTY indictments. At the same time, Limaj is accused by the EULEX administrators in Kosovo and Metohija of embezzling 80 million euros as a “transportation and telecommunications minister” in province’s transitional government, formed after the war, under the UN auspices.

Transcripts of Limaj’s wiretapped conversations, published by the Press on May 8, suggest this KLA commander, indicted and tried by the ICTY for monstrous crimes against kidnapped Kosovo Serbs held in the Albanian-run death camp “Lapusnik”, actually bought and paid for his acquittal. The transcripts show Limaj’s American lawyers (who settled to collect only USD 2 mill. for servicing this terrorist, after failing to get the $6.5 million initially requested) knew in advance, before the trial even began, what will be written in their client’s release verdict. Transcripts also show one of German administrators and former UNMIK (UN Mission in Kosovo province) chief Michael Steiner played a significant role in securing acquittal for the “Lapusnik monster”. According to the transcripts, Steiner even helped negotiate the “price of acquittal”, while serving as the chief representative of United Nations in Serbian province.

Unacceptable Pressure on Media in Serbia

In Tuesday edition, Press reported ICTY prosecutor Brammertz during his latest visit to Serbian capital requested an “explanation” from his Serbian counterpart Vladimir Vukčević, in regards to transcripts published by the Belgrade daily. Brammertz said that, when authenticity of the transcripts is verified, he will consider pressing charges against the daily’s editor-in-chief for “contempt of the court”.

According to the sources close to ICTY prosecution, Brammertz has already launched an internal investigation in the Hague, to find “a mole” who passed the transcripts to the Press, while urging the Serbian prosecution to open a “comprehensive investigation” in Serbia.

Ljubiša Živadinović, lawyer defending General Nebojša Pavković in the Hague, said that announcement of issuing a Hague indictment against a newspaper editor represents direct pressure of the Hague tribunal on Serbian media and foreign court’s unacceptable assault on the freedom of media in Serbia.

“They have no basis to open an investigation and press charges against the editors of Serbian newspapers. However, the Press editors should not be surprised if they are ‘kindly’ asked to tell the Hague prosecution who gave them those transcripts. It is essential for them to find out who is the mole among them. Other than that, this is a direct pressure on the journalists and reporters in Serbia. Obviously, they are very upset by the details revealed in those documents, I’d say mainly by the part regarding the ‘preparation’ of the acquittal. If everything was above the board in the ICTY, it would be absolutely impossible for the lawyers to vouch — at any point — Limaj will be acquitted of all charges, and especially before the process even began,” Živadinović said.

Toma Fila, Serbian lawyer who defends Nikola Šainović before the ICTY, insists the Hague has no legal basis to press charges against newspapers in Serbia.

“Brammertz has no business with Serbian media! Press has no obligation to reveal their sources to anyone — they were only doing their job, in the interest of the public’s right to know,” Fila commented.

Borivoje Borović, another lawyer representing Serbs in the Hague, is equally convinced Belgrade daily cannot possibly be held responsible for “contempt” of the ICTY court in Hague.

“Press has no responsibility whatsoever in this case, since the transcripts of the conversations in Scheveningen [detention unit in the Hague] are not labeled confidential. So, you were quite free to publish them. Every Hague detainee ought to be informed by his lawyers that his conversations are wiretapped,” Borović said.

Should Brammertz Sue the TV Series Character?

The Association of Serbia’s Journalists and Reporters openly condemned the audacity of the Hague tribunal to exert pressure on Serbian media.

“Few months ago we learned the Hague prosecutor criticized Serbian leaders because one character in the television series ‘Village Cousin’, broadcast by the Public Service, wasn’t talking about the Hague tribunal with the proper fearful reverence. We now hear the Hague prosecutor doesn’t like the fact Press came in possession of Limaj’s transcripts. What we have in both cases is the Hague prosecutor exerting pressure on Serbian officials,” President of the Association Ljiljana Smajlović said, adding that the Press did the right thing when it published transcripts of Limaj’s conversations.

“It seems that [Serbia's] State prosecutor reacted appropriately in this case, by requesting that Hague prosecution first finds out whether the transcripts published by the Press are authentic. If they are, then Press acted in the interest of the public’s right to know. If the ICTY prosecution opens an investigation against the Press, the entire Serbian public will have to stand up in defense of the right of their media to continue investigating both those crimes and the ICTY itself,” Smajlović said.

Serbia is [not] a Banana Republic

During his latest visit to Serbia, Brammertz also criticized Serbian officials for unfavorable comments about the scandalous ICTY conduct in regards to the verdict issued to Major Veselin Šljivančanin. Major Šljivančanin was first sentenced to five years in prison and after appealing the sentence, based on the exact same “evidence”, he was punished with over three times longer prison term.

And while the defense of Veselin Šljivančanin, retired officer of the former Yugoslav Army (JNA), announced it will seek revision of the entire process, stressing the decision of the ICTY Appeals Chamber to increase sentence to their client from 5 to 17 years is “wrongful and illegal”, President of the Serbian Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal Rasim Ljajić, who apparently had enough of Brammertz’s tiresome sermons, reacted to the constant intrusions.

“We have our dignity, we have something that is called state credibility. Serbia is not a ‘banana republic’ so that others can keep telling us what we may or may not say!,” Ljajić said.

This prompted a number of cutting comments from the thoroughly annoyed Serbs and acerbic titles announcing that “Tadić didn’t inform Ljajić Serbia is a banana republic” and “President of the Banana Republic failed to inform Ljajić of the actual state of affairs”.