While on one hand he is charged by the prosecution as a former minister and president of the Republic of Serbian Krajina, on the other, the Registry is treating him and his defense team as if he were a "reserve police officer," complains Martic. He also protests the "failure" of prosecutors "to indict" Stipe Mesic and other Croatian officials

The trial of Milan Martic could begin in December 2005 or January 2006, if his indictment is not joined with those of Stanisic, Simatovic and Seselj. In that case, the trial will start later

Prosecution delivers opening statement as Milan Martic's trial begins. The accused responds with a statement given without taking the solemn oath, accusing the prosecutor of "switching the roles of the criminals and victims" and announcing he would "prove the innocence of [his] people"

After the defense completed the cross-examination of former OTP investigator Ari Kerkannen, the trial was adjourned until further notice because the accused is ill

Trial Chamber dismisses the motion to acquit Milan Martic on all counts in the indictment, filed by his defense counsel. The defense will start answering the prosecution case on 11 July because the Chamber refused to postpone the start of Martic’s case until 15 September, noting it “will not be held hostage by the accused”

Milan Martic’s defense intends to call 54 witnesses and 2 experts. The first witness will be Slobodan Jarcevic, Krajina foreign minister, and the last will be the accused himself. The Chamber learned the identity of 47 witnesses only today, because, as the defense counsel claims “the Croatian authorities have issued arrest warrants against those persons”

After Martic’s defense counsel Predrag Milovancevic drew conclusions from the premises that he put forth himself, the presiding judge said he had “the impression Milovancevic is testifying himself”, rather than presenting arguments to be confirmed by the witnesses in the course of the defense case

Slobodan Jarcevic, foreign minister in the former RSK, blames the failure of the negotiations on the Croatian and international negotiators. He goes on to say that even Russia, ever friendly, had no understanding for the activities of his ministry. Jarcevic had his office in Belgrade and was on the federal government payroll

Milan Martic’s responsibility for the crimes in Krajina and the rocket attack on Zagreb has been proven beyond reasonable doubt, the prosecutor believes. In light of the gravity of the crimes and other aggravating circumstances, the most severe penalty is called for. The prosecutor goes on to say that the accused in a way took part in proving his guilt, with his public statement between 1990 and 1995

In his closing argument, Martic’s defense counsel did not speak about Milan Martic’s defense but rather accused the Croatian side and its leadership of “organizing an armed rebellion in the territory of Yugoslavia, an European state”, went on to accuse Milan Babic, key prosecution witness, of giving false testimony and finally accused the Trial Chamber for admitting Babic’s evidence. As the defense counsel said, something like that “is unknown in civilized world”

On the last day of trial, Milan Martic’s defense counsel calls for an acquittal for his client, “a hero and the president of a refugee nation”. The accused himself claims the indictment against him was copied from the Croatian media and that it was the prosecutor’s task to safeguard America’s interests and to “shift the blame on the victim”

Milan Martic’s request for the disqualification of Judge Wolfgang Schomburg from the Appeals Chamber was dismissed. The Appeals Chamber will consider the appeals of both the defense and prosecution against the sentence for the former president of the so-called Republic of Srpska Krajina

Milan Martic, sentenced to thirty-five years for crimes in Croatia and Western BH, compares his trial with that of Dimitrov for the burning of the Reichstag. The appellate hearing will be held before the summer recess at the Tribunal

The Appeals Chamber confirmed the Trial Chamber’s judgment sentencing the former president of the former RSK to 35 years in prison for persecution, murder, detention, torture, inhumane acts, cruel treatment, deportation and forcible transfer, wanton destruction of villages and educational and religious buildings, looting of public and private property and attacks on civilians

Former Krajina Serb leader petitions the Tribunal’s President to allow him to move from a prison in Estonia to Denmark, Austria or some third country with better prison conditions. Martic is not satisfied with the conditions in the Estonian prison: there are communal showers, he has to share his cell with another prisoner, is given little time for sport activities and medical care is poor

Milan Martic, former president of the former Republic of Serbian Krajina, has urged the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals to terminate the proceedings initiated against him ‘in his absence’ in Croatia for the shelling of Karlovac and Jastrebarsko. Martic is currently serving a 35-year sentence in a prison in Estonia