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'They Would Have to Carry Me': Former Serb Leader Balks at Arrest Claims

© AP PhotoSerbian ultranationalist leader Vojislav Seselj
Serbian ultranationalist leader Vojislav Seselj - Sputnik International
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Former Serbian deputy prime minster Vojislav Seselj, who is accused of inciting racial hatred and ethnic cleansing during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s, has emphatically claimed that he won't be returning to The Hague following a request for his re-arrest.

The appeals chamber at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) today ruled that Seselj, who was released last year for cancer treatment, must be taken back into detention, following statements he made following his release from prison.

After his release in November, Seselj claimed that he wouldn't be returning back to the prison, located in The Hague, voluntarily.

Judges have since ruled the comments were a violation of his strict bail conditions, as they "eroded the essential pre-conditions for provisional release".

However, speaking to Sputnik, the former deputy prime minister, who was leader of the Serbian nationalist movement, said he would not meet the demands of the UN-backed ICTY and return to the Netherlands.

He also criticised the current Serbian government, labeling them a "pro-western regime of traitors":

"I am definitely not going back to The Hague voluntarily, and how I would be detained by this pro-western regime of traitors — we shall see."

Mr Seselj said he would fight his extradition by legal means, arguing that he should be allowed to remain in Serbia for medical treatment.

"Of course, I won't be able to resist physically — I'm old and frail. But I will fight with legal means. They [The ICTY] must act in accordance with the rules of the court of law: initiate judicial proceedings, then I have to respond, and then appeal. 

 

"And after my appeal is not upheld, they would have to carry me to the airport. 

"No one from the Serb authorities contacted me, I had a call from the Hague Tribunal — I refused to accept documents in English, so on Wednesday I should get them in Serbian."

Extradition Claims 'Immoral'

The issue could create a potential conflict between the United Nations and Serbia, with government officials in Belgrade expressing their disappointment with the decision.

Current Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic called the decision "immoral" and said the government had not yet made up its mind about how it would react to the arrest request.

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"I am not in a position to hide the anger about the immoral decision they made. We will give our stance on that in the coming days."

Deputy Prime Minister Rasim Ljajic, who also acts as the country's president of the national council for cooperation with the ICTY, also questioned the decision, and indicated it may cause some tension between the court and Serbia.

"They didn't ask us when they released him. The guarantees we gave [to the ICTY about Seselj's release] were under the condition that he accepts them, just like he was supposed to accept the ICTY's conditions for provisional release. They didn't pay attention to that and now they have made a decision that will be problematic again," Ljajic told newspaper Blic.

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Seselj has been in custody in The Hague since 2003 when he voluntarily surrendered to authorities. He is on trial and accused of encouraging others to commit murder and ethnic cleansing during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s.

The verdict in his case was scheduled for October 2013, but was postponed after one of the judges in the trial was removed for alleged bias, while it's not known when a court ruling will be made.

Seselj, who was repeatedly found guilty of contempt of court during his trial, pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him, for which the prosecutors are pushing for a 28-year sentence.

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