Hitch in Milosevic trial
The week's news at a glance.
The Hague
The judge presiding over the trial of Slobodan Milosevic announced this week that he would resign at the end of May, just as the former Yugoslav dictator was scheduled to begin defense arguments. Judge Richard May, a Briton, said he was stepping down due to poor health. The move could derail the trial. Milosevic, whose own ill health has caused many delays, has the right to ask the court to restart the trial from the beginning—and if the request is denied, he’ll have grounds for appeal. In any event, whoever takes May’s place on the three-judge panel hearing the case will have to wade through thousands of pages of documents from nearly 300 prosecution witnesses, a task that could take months. Milosevic is charged with ordering civilian massacres and other crimes against humanity during the Balkan wars of the 1990s.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's opposition
The Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff