THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, March 25 (Hina) - Serb radical leader Vojislav Seselj pleaded not guilty at the Hague tribunal on Tuesday to all 14 counts of indictment for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Balkans in the 1990s.
THE HAGUE/ZAGREB, March 25 (Hina) - Serb radical leader Vojislav
Seselj pleaded not guilty at the Hague tribunal on Tuesday to all 14
counts of indictment for war crimes and crimes against humanity in
the Balkans in the 1990s. #L#
The Serbian ultra-nationalist pleaded not guilty to charges of
ethnic cleansing in Croatia, Bosnia and the Vojvodina region of
Serbia in 1991-93.
Seselj, who refused to stand up when Judge Wolfganga Schonburga
entered court, had declined to plead in February, reserving the
right to enter his plea within 30 days of his first court
appearance. He asked of the ICTY prosecution to clarify the
indictment, namely to remove Croatian and English phases that he
did not understand.
Seselj, 48, is the president of the Serb Radical Party and one of the
biggest advocators of Greater Serbian ideology. He holds a title of
the Chetnick Duke. He has been in the detention centre of the UN war
crimes tribunal at The Hague since February 24.
Seselj is charged with crimes against humanity, violations of laws
and customs of war and participation in a joint criminal operation
led by Slobodan Milosevic.
According to the indictment, the operation aimed at persecution of
Croats, Bosniaks and other non-Serb population from one third of
Croatian territory, greater parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina and parts
of Serbia's Vojvodina.
(hina) it sb