Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and of Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000. He also led Serbia's Socialist Party from its foundation in 1990.

Milošević resigned the Yugoslav presidency amid demonstrations, following the disputed presidential election of September 24, 2000. He was arrested by Yugoslav federal authorities on Saturday, March 31, 2001, on suspicion of corruption, abuse of power, and embezzlement.

The initial investigation into Milošević faltered for lack of hard evidence, prompting the Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić to send him to The Hague to stand trial for alleged war crimes instead.

The Hague war crimes tribunal charged Milošević with crimes against humanity, violating the laws or customs of war, grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and genocide for his role during the wars in Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo.

Milošević conducted his own defense, but the trial ended without a verdict because he died during the proceedings, after nearly five years in the War Criminal Prison in the Hague.

Milošević suffered from heart ailments and high blood pressure. He died of a heart attack shortly after the court denied his request to seek specialized medical treatment at a cardiology clinic in Moscow.

The Tribunal denies any responsibility for Milošević's death. They claim that he refused to take prescribed medicines and medicated himself instead.