Dutch probe shows Milosevic died natural death

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – An investigation into the death of
Slobodan Milosevic in his cell while on trial for war crimes
showed that the former Yugoslav president died of natural
causes, Dutch prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Milosevic was found dead in his cell at the detention unit
in The Hague on March 11, just months before a verdict was
expected in his trial for war crimes, genocide and crimes
against humanity in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s.

There had been speculation over whether Milosevic had
deliberately tried to exacerbate his condition to strengthen
his case for release or whether he had been poisoned, as the
64-year-old suggested in a letter to Moscow the day before he
died.

“The public prosecutor has concluded that Milosevic died a
natural death. There is not a single indication that the death
was the result of foul play,” prosecutors said in a statement.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former
Yugoslavia (ICTY) said in a statement it welcomed the
prosecutor’s final findings.

As the investigation confirmed Milosevic died of natural
causes, the court’s own internal inquiry would focus on the
medical treatment given to him while in the tribunal’s
detention center, the court said.

The tribunal expects to conclude its investigation shortly.

Initial autopsy results had shown that Milosevic died of a
heart attack.

“In keeping with its earlier report, the National Forensic
Institute has now definitely concluded that the cause of death
was a heart attack,” prosecutors said.

Final toxicological studies also confirmed there were no
traces of poisoning or substances which could have triggered a
heart attack.

The prosecutor said that although non-prescribed medicines
were found in Milosevic’s cell in December 2005, no such
medicines were found in his cell the day after he died.

Milosevic had suffered from high blood pressure and a heart
condition, which according to an initial autopsy explained his
heart attack.