Serbia: Hague prosecutors to appeal Seselj acquittal
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 6 April 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Serbia: Hague prosecutors to appeal Seselj acquittal, 6 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5768ffe912.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
April 06, 2016
Serbian nationalist Vojislav Seselj said he was unworried at the appeal. "They have no legal grounds," he said.
Prosecutors at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia say they will appeal last week's acquittal of Serbian nationalist Vojislav Seselj.
Chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz said judges had ignored a large body of evidence when they freed Seselj, who was accused of stoking murderous ethnic hatred with fiery rhetoric against Bosnian Muslims and Croats in the early 1990s.
Brammertz on April 6 accused judges of misinterpreting the evidence in such a way that "expelling civilians was a humanitarian gesture" and "incendiary hate speech was simply morale boosting for the Serb forces."
Seselj said he was unworried at the appeal. "They have no legal grounds," he told Reuters by telephone.
Analysts say his Radical Party is likely to poll at least 5 percent in the election later this month, returning the party to parliament after four years.
Legal experts say the appeal would not prevent Seselj from taking up a seat in parliament. But being a member of the parliament would also not give him legal immunity.
Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
