Mother burned alive with newborn child

A key factor in the case against Slobodan Milosevic is whether he was aware of the atrocities carried out by Serb forces.

Prosecutor Geoffrey Nice described the murder of a mother and her newborn baby committed by Serb soldiers known as the White Eagles, allegedly on Milosevic's orders.

The heavily pregnant woman ran into woodland to escape advancing Serbs and gave birth as she cowered in fear. She was discovered and told she and her baby girl would be taken to safety at a Red Cross house.

Instead, they were taken - along with 45 members of the woman's extended family and many other local people who had also been promised safe refuge - to a house where the carpets and furniture had been deliberately soaked in petrol, which was then set alight. "They were burned alive," said Mr Nice. "And the baby's screams were heard for some two hours before it succumbed."

While many faces around the court betrayed their horror at this account, Milosevic stared intently ahead throughout the graphic description, betraying no trace of emotion.

"The issue is, did he know these events were happening?" asked Mr Nice. "Of course he did. He cannot not have known. If he did know, why did he not stop these things occurring? He did not confront his victims. He was able to view what was happening from the distance of high political office and - if the prosecution is right - he had these crimes committed for him by others."

Mr Nice went on to describe how Serb troops burned children alive and threw women down wells, before asking the court to view such evidence "as dispassionately as possible".

Small groups of pro and anti-Milosevic activists demonstrated outside the court building. Supporters called the prosecution a "lynching", while representatives of Bosnian war victims demanded the world do more to help refugees go home.