Šešelj trial resumes in Hague

The trial of Vojislav Seselj resumes at the Hague today with the second prosecution witness Goran Stoparic taking the stand. The Serb Radical Party leader is accused of war crimes against non-Serbs in Croatia, Vojvodina and Bosnia-Hercegovina between 1991 and 1993. Seselj trial resumes in Hague After a discussion on procedure, the prosecution brought out its second witness, Stoparic, who, as a former member of the Scorpions paramilitary unit, has already testified once at the Hague, at the trial of former Serbian President Milan Milutinovic and his co-accused for crimes committed in Kosovo. The witness, at the beginning of his testimony, said that he had served as a volunteer in a Territorial Defense Force in battles in eastern Slavonia, and that the calls for volunteers had been issued by Seselj and the SRS, though he added that they had not been the only ones, also implicating Serbian Renewal Movement leader Vuk Draskovic. Prosecution motion rejected At the start of the session, Presiding Judge Jean-Claude Antoinetti said that the Court’s three-member council appointed by Tribunal President Fausto Pocar had decided to reject the prosecution’s request for Harhoff’s exclusion, though he did not go into any further details. Last week, Prosecutor Christina Dahl asked for Harhoff’s exclusion because, in 1993, as a volunteer in the Danish Helsinki Commission for Human Rights, he interviewed Isak Gashi, who is due to testify at the trial about war crimes committed in Brcko in 1992. Seselj claimed yesterday that the prosecution was “kidnapping” his witnesses and called for the Court to put a stop to this. According to the defendant, of 16 prosecution witnesses due to appear in January and February, “eight are defense witnesses and won’t come, unless you force them,” while another, protected witness VS-12, has died. “If you subpoena them, they’ll come here, but they’ll testify as defense witnesses and will refuse to have any contact with the Tribunal,” he warned. “These people do not wish to be prosecution witnesses, but mine… Witness VS-12 has died and I don’t know how the prosecution intends to bring him here – maybe he’ll testify via video link,” quipped the defendant. Dahl confirmed that she had not known of VS-12’s death, adding that she would be “grateful” if Seselj could give her the relevant information. She claimed that subpoenas had been issued to two witnesses who were due to testify this month.

Šešelj trial resumes in Hague

After a discussion on procedure, the prosecution brought out its second witness, Stoparić, who, as a former member of the Scorpions paramilitary unit, has already testified once at the Hague, at the trial of former Serbian President Milan Milutinović and his co-accused for crimes committed in Kosovo.

The witness, at the beginning of his testimony, said that he had served as a volunteer in a Territorial Defense Force in battles in eastern Slavonia, and that the calls for volunteers had been issued by Šešelj and the SRS, though he added that they had not been the only ones, also implicating Serbian Renewal Movement leader Vuk Drašković.

Prosecution motion rejected

At the start of the session, Presiding Judge Jean-Claude Antoinetti said that the Court’s three-member council appointed by Tribunal President Fausto Pocar had decided to reject the prosecution’s request for Harhoff’s exclusion, though he did not go into any further details.

Last week, Prosecutor Christina Dahl asked for Harhoff’s exclusion because, in 1993, as a volunteer in the Danish Helsinki Commission for Human Rights, he interviewed Isak Gashi, who is due to testify at the trial about war crimes committed in Brčko in 1992.

Šešelj claimed yesterday that the prosecution was “kidnapping” his witnesses and called for the Court to put a stop to this.

According to the defendant, of 16 prosecution witnesses due to appear in January and February, “eight are defense witnesses and won’t come, unless you force them,” while another, protected witness VS-12, has died.

“If you subpoena them, they’ll come here, but they’ll testify as defense witnesses and will refuse to have any contact with the Tribunal,” he warned.

“These people do not wish to be prosecution witnesses, but mine… Witness VS-12 has died and I don’t know how the prosecution intends to bring him here – maybe he’ll testify via video link,” quipped the defendant.

Dahl confirmed that she had not known of VS-12’s death, adding that she would be “grateful” if Šešelj could give her the relevant information.

She claimed that subpoenas had been issued to two witnesses who were due to testify this month.