Reuters AlertNet Lite - Hague prosecutors seek medical report on Seselj

Reuters AlertNet Full site

NEWSDESK

Hague prosecutors seek medical report on Seselj

17 Nov 2006 14:59:52 GMT
Source: Reuters

AMSTERDAM, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Prosecutors at the Hague war crimes tribunal have asked for a medical report on Serbian ultranationalist Vojislav Seselj, who his party says is on hunger strike to demand the right to choose his legal counsel.

Seselj, who faces charges of persecution, extermination, murder and torture of non-Serbs in wars in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, wants to represent himself in court and refuses to cooperate with legal advisers assigned to him by the court.

The prosecution said in a statement on Friday that it had requested the head of the U.N detention unit, where Seselj is being detained, to determine whether the Serbian Radical Party leader is on a hunger strike and if so to check his condition.

If the report concludes he is not able to prepare his defence and represent himself, the prosecution wants the court to permanently assign a defence counsel.

Seselj surrendered to the U.N. tribunal in 2003. His trial is scheduled to begin on Nov. 27.

He was banned from representing himself in August after disrupting pre-trial hearings but the tribunal's appeals chamber restored his right to defend himself last month.

Two lawyers were assigned as standby counsel ready to take over his defence if Seselj disrupted the trial again.

The 52-year-old, who taught political science at Sarajevo University from 1981 to 1984, has repeatedly been removed from the court because of his behaviour.

Slobodan Milosevic, the former Yugoslavian president who died in jail before his marathon war crimes trial ended, also berated the judges and questioned the legitimacy of the court, but was allowed to defend himself until he died in March.

Seselj's opposition Radicals regularly score highest in polls of Serbian voting intentions, with the backing of about one-third of Serbia's 6 million voters.

AlertNet news is provided by

Email this article Send comments

Topics

• International Humanitarian Law

• Food Security

MORE >>

Countries

Small country map
© 2004 Europa Technologies Ltd.

Reset map

• Bosnia-Herzegovina profile
· View map

• Serbia profile
· View map

MORE >>

NGO latest

• Uganda: ICRC trains army personnel in Karamoja
ICRC - Switzerland

• Alliance urges action to close the HIV services gap at International Development Committee session on global HIV epidemic
International HIV/AIDS Alliance - UK

• Civilians in west Darfur deprived of assistance as attacks intensify
MSF International

• Geneva: ICRC chairs meeting on persons missing since 1990-1991 Gulf War
ICRC - Switzerland

• ICRC deeply concerned about the interruption of health servicesfor the Palestinian population
ICRC - Switzerland

MORE >>

Latest news

• Hague prosecutors seek medical report on Seselj

• Tibetans in India to protest over Hu's visit

• Floods hit up to 1.8 million in Horn of Africa -UN

• Bosnia ex-president jailed for abuse of office

• U.N. climate talks gridlocked on Kyoto, Russia

MORE >>

Last updated:Fri Nov 17 15:01:45 2006