Slobodan Milosevic 2006 Deaths

Slobodan Milosevic

power-hungry former president of Serbia and Yugoslavia whose fervent Serbian nationalism led to four wars in the Balkans and the deaths of more than 200,000 people. In an effort to expand Serbia's reach, Milosevic waged war against Slovenes, Croats, Bosnians, and Kosovo Albanians, earning the title “the Butcher of the Balkans.” In 2000 elections, Milosevic was defeated by the opposition candidate Vojislav Kostunica, a constitutional lawyer. He was arrested in 2001 and turned over to the United Nations war crimes tribunal at the Hague. He was charged with committing crimes against humanity in Kosovo and Croatia and later with genocide during the 1992–1995 Bosnian war. He was the first head of state to face an international war-crimes court. He died of a heart attack shortly before the trial was expected to end.