Radicals: Hague uses fake witnesses

A Serb Radical Party (SRS) official criticized the Hague prosecution's witnesses against party leader Vojislav Šešelj.

Izvor: B92

Sunday, 30.03.2008.

18:22

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A Serb Radical Party (SRS) official criticized the Hague prosecution's witnesses against party leader Vojislav Seselj. "Everything comes down to what Seselj said before departing for The Hague in 2003 – the indictment is fake and the witnesses are fake," Zoran Krasic, the head of Seselj's legal team, said in Belgrade today. Radicals: Hague uses fake witnesses He cited the example of one witness who, during the trial last week, said that Bora Djordjevic, a veteran Serbian rocker, is a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. "If he pronounced such a flagrant lie, that the public knows for certain is not true, then how many other lies are spoken by such 'prepared' witnesses about matters that the public is not so well acquainted with," Krasic wondered. He also questioned the practice of voice and image distortion provided for protected witnesses taking the stand, saying that "perhaps some other persons instructed by the prosecution are actually appearing to testify". Krasic also noted that some witnesses that gave their statements in 1993 never mentioned Seselj or his followers, but that both feature in the updated statements, given in 1996 and 1997. He wondered why the UN war crimes court's prosecution did not move to indict Seselj earlier, "if it was in possession of the statements in question", and expressed his doubt that the indictment will stand. "This shows what kind of material the Hague prosecution has at its disposal and why they need these 'prepared' witnesses," Krasic said, and added that he expects the prosecution to continue with this practice, "because, realistically speaking, there is no evidence". Seselj is standing trial charged with crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war.

Radicals: Hague uses fake witnesses

He cited the example of one witness who, during the trial last week, said that Bora Đorđević, a veteran Serbian rocker, is a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

"If he pronounced such a flagrant lie, that the public knows for certain is not true, then how many other lies are spoken by such 'prepared' witnesses about matters that the public is not so well acquainted with," Krasić wondered.

He also questioned the practice of voice and image distortion provided for protected witnesses taking the stand, saying that "perhaps some other persons instructed by the prosecution are actually appearing to testify".

Krasić also noted that some witnesses that gave their statements in 1993 never mentioned Šešelj or his followers, but that both feature in the updated statements, given in 1996 and 1997.

He wondered why the UN war crimes court's prosecution did not move to indict Šešelj earlier, "if it was in possession of the statements in question", and expressed his doubt that the indictment will stand.

"This shows what kind of material the Hague prosecution has at its disposal and why they need these 'prepared' witnesses," Krasić said, and added that he expects the prosecution to continue with this practice, "because, realistically speaking, there is no evidence".

Šešelj is standing trial charged with crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war.

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