Serbia ‘Still Ignoring’ UN Court Monitor over Vojislav Seselj Case

Vojislav Seselj. Photo: EPA/KOCA SULEJMANOVIC. Monitor Dagmara Albrecht told the UN’s International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in her latest report that she has not received any new information from the Serbian authorities about the status of the contempt-of-court case against Serbian Radical Party leader Vojislav Seselj and four of his party members. The International Residual Mechanism transferred the contempt-of-court case against Seselj and his followers to Serbia in 2024, saying that conditions were adequate for it to be processed there, and appointed Albrecht to monitor progress. But since then, Serbia has been ignoring questions about the status of the case, according to Albrecht. In her latest report, she said that since her previous report in May, she had “received no response to my numerous inquiries addressed to the Ministry of Justice of Serbia”. In the May report, she also said that although the Ministry of Justice had promised to provide her with information, her emails went unanswered. Her latest report suggests the case may not have moved forward. “Based on information previously received, the Seselj et al. case is still awaiting a preliminary opinion of the Ministry of Justice,” she added. The case against Seselj and his followers – Miljan Damjanovic, Miroljub Ignjatovic, Ljiljana Mihajlovic, and Ognjen Mihajlovic – relates to his 15-year trial in The Hague for wartime crimes. The indictment charges them with having “knowingly and wilfully interfered with the administration of justice; disclosed information in violation of court orders, including orders for the protection of witnesses; and failed to comply, without just excuse, with court orders to cease and desist from the publication of confidential information”. Seselj already has a conviction for inciting crimes with his wartime speeches. The UN war crimes tribunal sentenced him to ten years in prison in April 2018. He did not serve any jail time, however, because of the time he had spent in custody prior to the verdict. The Serbian Radical Party leader has been charged with contempt of court several times by the Hague-based tribunal. In 2011, he was convicted of revealing information about witnesses in a book he authored. In 2012, Seselj and Radical Party colleagues Vjerica Radeta and Petar Jojic were also charged with pressurising witnesses in his trial using threats, blackmail and bribes to change their statements or not testify. This case is still ongoing in The Hague after the tribunal declined to transfer these proceedings to Serbia.