Šešelj seeks acquittal in contempt of court case

Hague Tribunal Prosecutor Bruce MacFarlane has requested a three-year prison sentence for Vojislav Seselj for repeating the criminal act of contempt of court. Seselj suggested at the end of the trial that he should be acquitted and repeated that his goal was to destroy the Hague Tribunal and that he did not care about the verdict. Seselj seeks acquittal in contempt of court case According to the prosecutor, Seselj “deliberately and defiantly“ repeated the same criminal act even though he “knew well“ and was aware that revealing protected witnesses' identities was prohibited by the Hague Tribunal's decision. The SRS leader called the Hague Tribunal a “criminal instrument“ of the U.S., NATO and the EU, repeating that he would fight with everything he had against its “hegemony“. Seselj also added that the Hague Tribunal was anti-Serbian court and claimed that it was impossible that any indicted Serb could be acquitted there. Judge O-Gon Kwon said that a date when the verdict would be announced would be set afterwards. Seselj is held in contempt of court for revealing the names of 11 protected witnesses in his book. The witnesses testified during his trial for crimes against non-Serbs in Croatia, Vojvodina and Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1991 until 1993. Six of those witnesses testified on Seselj's behalf during the three-day trial for contempt of court, claiming that they willingly revealed their identities and that they had given their consent to Seselj's associates to publish their names in the book. Seselj's main war crimes trial has been ongoing at the Hague Tribunal for the past eight years. Vojislav Seselj

Šešelj seeks acquittal in contempt of court case

According to the prosecutor, Šešelj “deliberately and defiantly“ repeated the same criminal act even though he “knew well“ and was aware that revealing protected witnesses' identities was prohibited by the Hague Tribunal's decision.

The SRS leader called the Hague Tribunal a “criminal instrument“ of the U.S., NATO and the EU, repeating that he would fight with everything he had against its “hegemony“.

Šešelj also added that the Hague Tribunal was anti-Serbian court and claimed that it was impossible that any indicted Serb could be acquitted there.

Judge O-Gon Kwon said that a date when the verdict would be announced would be set afterwards.

Šešelj is held in contempt of court for revealing the names of 11 protected witnesses in his book. The witnesses testified during his trial for crimes against non-Serbs in Croatia, Vojvodina and Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1991 until 1993.

Six of those witnesses testified on Šešelj's behalf during the three-day trial for contempt of court, claiming that they willingly revealed their identities and that they had given their consent to Šešelj's associates to publish their names in the book.

Šešelj's main war crimes trial has been ongoing at the Hague Tribunal for the past eight years.