The man accused of firing the shot that killed Serbia's prime minister threw his trial into chaos when he refused to enter a plea.
| Isn't standing silent the same thing as a not-guilty plea? |
Shortly after, 40 defense attorneys representing the man and 35 other suspects in the trial over Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic's killing walked out of the courtroom, claiming the three-judge panel was biased and incapable of handling the case.
| When your attorneys stomp out of court, that's considered a bad sign... |
If they do not return Thursday, the court would have to appoint lawyers for the policemen and alleged gangsters charged with Djindjic's killing.
| Don't bitch if you don't get Johnny Cochrane... |
The trial is seen as a crucial test of the independence of Serbia's judiciary in the wake of President Slobodan Milosevic's ouster in 2000. A U.N. court observer said the trial has several flaws, including "the apparent meddling" of politics in the proceedings. "The chief judge is acting both as a judge and a prosecutor," said Aleksandar Cvejic, legal adviser for the U.N. commissioner for human rights. "That is unacceptable."
| Could be why all the lawyers left. This isn't going to look good on their resumes... |
The difficulties began Wednesday when Zvezdan Jovanovic, former commander of an elite Serbian police unit who is charged with firing the fatal sniper shot that killed Zoran Djindjic on March 12, said he was framed by pro-Western authorities and would not enter a plea.
| "I been framed! Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'!" |
"I have been exposed to tremendous pressure by these authorities," said Jovanovic, 38. "I have been proclaimed guilty even before the trial had started."
| The confession did help there... |
Authorities initially said Jovanovic confessed to the slaying. But his defense attorneys claim he was pressured during the police interrogation and was not told that everything he said could be used against him in court.
"Okay! I confess! But yes can't use it against me in court!"
"Right. Sign here." |
"I don't trust this court and the judiciary of this country," said Jovanovic, whose police unit fought in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo. Jovanovic's lawyer, Nenad Vukasovic, said authorities were using the trial to boost their chances in Serbia's key parliamentary elections Sunday. Ultranationalists, who are allies of Milosevic, are predicted to win, according to pre-election polls. |