Posted on 11/26/2002 8:36:55 AM PST by Destro
Foreign - Tuesday 26.11.2002
Finnish investigator Helena Ranta to testify at Milosevic trial
Finnish forensic odontologist Helena Ranta has been called to testify at the United Nations War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague at the trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.
Ranta's testimony is likely to be significant, because she was the head of the forensic investigations into the events in the Kosovo village of Racak in the winter of 1999, where about 40 Albanians were killed by Serb forces.
The event was something of a turning point in the Kosovo War. It was then that the Western countries took active political, and finally military action: NATO bombardment of Yugoslavia began in March of that same year.
At the trial so far, both the prosecutors and some witnesses have made reference to Ranta's report. Milosevic himself has also made frequent reference to Ranta's studies at the trial which began in February this year.
The exact date of Ranta's testimony remains unknown, as the court will not reveal the witnesses' schedules in advance.
"I would hope that the testimony would be given before Christmas. However, the schedule is a bit tight, which means that I will probably go to The Hague after the beginning of the year", Ranta said when interviewed by telephone.
She said that she expected to be questioned intensely by both the prosecutors, and by Milosevic.
"I will undoubtedly have to answer questions such as whether or not the events at Racak meet the criteria of a 'massacre'. I must be prepared for everything."
These kinds of fine distinctions had an especially important significance in the winter of 1999 when NATO member states were pondering whether or not a possible bombing war against Yugoslavia would be justified.
During the investigations Ranta found herself in a somewhat awkward situation, when she was called upon to give a legal opinion on the events of Racak. As a doctor Ranta refused to use any term other than "crime against humanity".
"Many expected Ranta to say that it was a massacre. However, she was not a lawyer. Instead, she worked to determine causes of death. Her task as a pathologist was not to define the events in legal terms", explained prosecution spokeswoman Florence Hartmann by telephone from The Hague on Monday.
During the events at Racak suspicions were voiced in the world press that the forensic team was working under pressure from the West. Ranta herself insists that there was no attempt by the United States or Germany to influence her conclusions.
The decision to call Ranta to testify comes at a somewhat strange time; testimony on the massacres in Kosovo had concluded at the trial, and now the focus is on the wars in Bosnia and Croatia.
"It is still the same trial, even though there are many parts. At first we believed that Ranta would not have to be there in person. We thought that her thousand-page report would have been sufficient evidence on its own", Hartmann said.
Experts say that the prosecution noticed too late that Ranta's personal testimony would be a very important part of the process.
On the last day of the Kosovo testimony the prosecutors asked the judges for permission to call Ranta to testify so that she might confirm what she had said in an interview in June with the Swiss publication Weltwoche, where she described the results of her investigations in Racak in detail.
The judges denied the prosecution's request to call her as a prosecution witness. Instead, they decided to call her to the stand themselves. This was seen as somewhat exceptional procedure in a UN court, where witnesses are usually called either by the prosecution or the defence, rather than by the judges.
Kanagroo Court at its finest. The Racak Massacre was a hoax they hoped to hide but can't seem to. Maybe if they do kill off Slobo they won't have to face his turn at defense: MILOSEVIC IN DRUGS KO "was given the wrong medicine in prison" (Assassination Attempt)
Pericles (remember him?) posted great articles on the Racak matter.
By the way, when you look at the Finnish report, you may notice something else missing: the name of Dr. Helena Ranta. Despite what this article intimates, she was not a part of the Finnish team when the report was written. Her testimony needs to be considered in that light.
People get into trouble for making misrepresentations, you know?
Color within the lines, inquest.
Go figure.
Please do not misrepresent this academic paper, written by three members of Ranta's team, as "The Finnish report". That report (1428 pages) was given to Milosevic's representatives in Pristina in March of '99, and has not been published on the net to date. hmmmm.....forensic dentist Ranta must sure have been writing dang fast for those "1428 pages" were written in something like 7 days........wonder her keyboard didn't catch fire [sarcasam off]........
another strikeout for those whiney HumWarriors.....
The 'academic paper' ( which Hoplite mentioned and inquest provided a link to ) is indeed the Full and Complete Finnish Forensic Report, and Dentist Ranta's name is absent from it meaning she was either kicked off the team or resigned.
and everyone should please note, the HumWarriors still insist on using statments from Ranta the discredited forensic dentist.........however one will never ever see any HumWarrior ever refer to the Full and Complete Finnish Forensic Report...........of course not, because the HumWarriors manifestly DO NOT want anyone to see what the Finnish experts actually did find...........
Hey does anyone recall why the Finns were even in the area to start with ? Does the name Glodenje ring a bell ?
Having debunked the execution scenario, by far the most likely scenario of the civilian Racak dead is that some of them fought willingly and some (probably most if not all) were forced by the KLA to fight. The KLA knew that most of these poor guys would die in a battle with Serbian forces, making excellent propaganda. This is probably what Ranta means when talking vaguely about a "crime against humanity" without being specific.
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