 | | Cameron Munter (FoNet) |
B92: Mr. Munter, what is going on in the Kovačević case? We have much information, but we don't know what's going on right now.
Munter: I'd like to set the record straight, if I could, because there's a lot of information in the press, but there are some facts that are very important that I'd stress, so please let me make some points.
Mr. Miladin Kovačević is accused of brutally attacking Bryan Steinhauer, a student who is less than half of his size. This was not just an ordinary bar fight. As he lay on the floor, Steinhauer was kicked many times repeatedly to the head, to the point when he had multiple fractures in the both sides of his head and his skull. His eye sockets and his teeth were destroyed. So with this multiple bruising, he suffered bleeding in his face and in his skull.
When he was in the hospital he was already in a coma - at the time he went there and he remains in a coma two and a half months later. When he came to the hospital he weighed 73 kilos, now he weighs 45 kilos. He's not able to eat, he's not able to speak, and he's not able to breathe on his own.
The problem is, of course that Mr. Kovačević, who is accused of this, was read charges against him in the presence of his mother, in the presence of a Serbian consular officer, that is representative of the Serbian government, and his attorney, and he was ordered to remain in the United States. He, instead, chose to run, in violation of the U.S. law, with a help of a Serbian consul.
If as his family claims, he's innocent, then he has every right to a fair trial and he should make his case before the court. The right to a free and fair trial is one of the principles on which our country was based.
The claims made by the family that Kovačević was mistreated or not afforded legal rights under U.S. law is simply not true. These claims are totally unsubstantiated. There is only one victim here, that victim is not Mr. Kovačević. The victim is Bryan Steinhauer, who is lying in a coma right now in New York City. We'll keep looking for his return. The United States wants his return, because this is serious matter.
Not only because of the horrible injuries that were suffered by Mr. Steinhauer, but because a Serbian government official helped Mr. Kovačević to flee justice. So the issue here now is that the U.S. law was broken and justice can be best served in the United States. We have asked Mr. Kovačević's family to consider voluntary return, which we believe is in his best interest. An Interpol warrant, that is valid in over 180 countries has been issued.
We expect the Serbian government to act on that notice and to fulfill the obligations that were undertaken by their representatives, by the consul and vice consul in New York when he signed the bail document committing to produce Kovačević in court.
Let me emphasize: the representative of Serbia put Serbian honor on the line. He promised in the name of the Serbian government that he would produce this man in court. We expect the government to honor that pledge. We will use all legal means available to us to secure his return and if he does not return to the United States to defend himself in the court of law, he will remain a fugitive for the rest of his life.
B92: Our law says that we cannot make extraditions. And it's our Constitutional act. So what do you expect our government to do?
Munter: The optimal solution is that Mr. Kovačević would go voluntarily, to seek legal help, and to defend himself in court. That would be the best for him, that would be the best for Serbia, that would be the best for justice and for our bilateral relations. If the government stands by its commitment, and chooses to return him, that is something your government can do. Your government can choose to return him to America, based on its promise. We're exploring all legal options at this point. At present we're asking the government to fulfill its obligations undertaken by their representative, when he signed the bail document in New York. Other options are on the table.
B92: There is one option, and that is to have a process in Serbia, with all the documents. What do you think about that?
Munter: We believe, since the crime was committed in the United States, the United States court system is best equipped to make a judgment on that case. And since the government of Serbia promised that he would stay in the United States to face that, we think that its the best way for Serbia, for the man himself, for Mr. Kovačević and for justice. That's our position.
B92: The latest news is that our prosecutor has started proceedings against the consul and vice consul. What is your comment on that?
Munter: We believe that it is very important that the Serbian government takes their part in this affair very seriously and the fact that they are pursuing criminal investigation against those people is very important. And we support that.
But the issue here is that it can't be enough. The issue here is that Mr. Kovačević must face justice in the United States.
B92: I would like to ask another question, today [Wednesday] your authorities started a process against a Second World War Gestapo officer, how do you comment that?
Munter: My understanding of this case is that an American, that is the Gestapo officer who misrepresented himself to get American citizenship, has been stripped of his citizenship because he was a criminal. The crimes he committed in the Gestapo, in the former Yugoslavia, in Belgrade... And because we have found that he was lying he would be stripped of his citizenship. We believe he should face justice.
People who commit crimes, who are accused of committing crimes should face justice no matter how long it takes, and they should face justice in the place where those crimes occurred. We'll make sure that this man, this Gestapo man who was caught, is turned over to the proper authorities so he will face trial, even though he is, I believe in his eighties, years later, it does not make the crime any less. He should face trial and he should face it in the proper place.
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