Hague Tribunal announces Šešelj case verdict for July

THE HAGUE A first instance verdict against Vojislav Seselj will be passed in July of next year by the Hague Tribunal. This is according to a regular report by the Hague president and its chief prosecutor, that will be presented to the UN Security Council on Wednesday. Hague Tribunal announces Seselj case verdict for July Seselj, the leader of the Serb Radical Party (SRS), surrendered voluntarily in early 2003 and has been incarcerated by the court since. He was charged with committing crimes against humanity. According to the report, obtained by a Tanjug correspondent in the United States, the verdict will be passed four months later than was originally planned. The regular report by President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia Theodor Meron and Tribunal's chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz, submitted to the United Nations before the judgments releasing Croat generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac and former commander of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army Ramush Haradinaj were rendered, says that at this point, 18 persons are on trial, while 15 persons are in appeal proceedings. Proceedings against 128 of the 161 persons indicted by the Hague have been completed. Brammertz stated that the Hague's Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) was generally satisfied with the cooperation of Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina with the Hague, and was especially pleased about the new Serbian government cooperating with the prosecution as closely as the previous government. The OTP remained concerned about the capacity of national institutions to prosecute war crimes effectively, especially in Bosnia, said the Hague chief prosecutor. The prosecutor once again called on Serbia to conduct a full investigation into the networks and individuals that harbored fugitives who had been indicted by the Hague, saying that during his visit to Belgrade in September, Serbia's War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic presented to him more details and information about the progress that had been made in that regard. Brammertz said that Serbia had finally started to address the case more expeditiously, adding that the Hague encouraged to carry on with the investigation and to finalize it. Hague President Theodor Meron pointed out that all first-instance proceedings, except in the Karadzic, Mladic and Hadzic cases, would be completed during the following year. The Hague president does not expect the appeal proceedings in these three cases to be completed by the end of 2014. The UN Security Council will discuss the report on Wednesday, December 5. Serbia's representative at the session will be First Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic. Tanjug

Hague Tribunal announces Šešelj case verdict for July

Šešelj, the leader of the Serb Radical Party (SRS), surrendered voluntarily in early 2003 and has been incarcerated by the court since. He was charged with committing crimes against humanity.

According to the report, obtained by a Tanjug correspondent in the United States, the verdict will be passed four months later than was originally planned.

The regular report by President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia Theodor Meron and Tribunal's chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz, submitted to the United Nations before the judgments releasing Croat generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač and former commander of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army Ramush Haradinaj were rendered, says that at this point, 18 persons are on trial, while 15 persons are in appeal proceedings.

Proceedings against 128 of the 161 persons indicted by the Hague have been completed.

Brammertz stated that the Hague's Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) was generally satisfied with the cooperation of Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina with the Hague, and was especially pleased about the new Serbian government cooperating with the prosecution as closely as the previous government.

The OTP remained concerned about the capacity of national institutions to prosecute war crimes effectively, especially in Bosnia, said the Hague chief prosecutor.

The prosecutor once again called on Serbia to conduct a full investigation into the networks and individuals that harbored fugitives who had been indicted by the Hague, saying that during his visit to Belgrade in September, Serbia's War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukčević presented to him more details and information about the progress that had been made in that regard.

Brammertz said that Serbia had finally started to address the case more expeditiously, adding that the Hague encouraged to carry on with the investigation and to finalize it.

Hague President Theodor Meron pointed out that all first-instance proceedings, except in the Karadžić, Mladić and Hadžić cases, would be completed during the following year.

The Hague president does not expect the appeal proceedings in these three cases to be completed by the end of 2014.

The UN Security Council will discuss the report on Wednesday, December 5. Serbia's representative at the session will be First Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić.