RUSSIA CONFIRMS ASYLUM FOR MILOSEVIC FAMILY. Russia has confirmed a report published by the Serbian daily "Blic" on January 31 that it has granted political asylum to two members of the family of the late Slobodan Milosevic, his wife Mirjana Markovic and his son Marko Milosevic. However, while "Blic" reported that their application was granted before the New Year holidays, Russia's Federal Migration Service announced that they were granted asylum in March 2006, after applying in late 2005. According to the international media, Moscow justified the decision on the grounds that the two faced "significant threats against their lives in Serbia." Serbia has issued international arrest warrants for both Markovic and Milosevic on a range of charges, including, in Markovic's case, complicity in the murder of former Serbian President Ivan Stambolic. Neither Milosevic, who left Serbia in October 2000, nor Markovic, who left in February 2003, were able to attend the funeral of the former Serbian and Yugoslav president, who died in March 2006 in detention in The Hague before his trial for war crimes was concluded. Another member of the Milosevic family resident in Russia, the former president's brother Borislav, told Reuters that "it is news to me" that the two have received asylum. Borislav Milosevic served as Yugoslavia's ambassador to Russia while his brother was in power.
Fonte: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Newsletter.
