| Press Release |
CHAMBERS
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| (Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document) |
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The Hague, 22 January 2009
NJ/MOW/1300e
Vojislav Šešelj Charged with Contempt of Court
Vojislav Šešelj, the leader of the Serb Radical Party currently standing trial at the Tribunal for alleged crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia between 1991 and 1994, was yesterday charged with contempt of court.
Trial Chamber II issued a Decision and Order in which it granted the Prosecution’s Request and initiated contempt proceedings against Šešelj “for knowingly and willfully disclosing information in knowing violation of an order of a Chamber”.
Šešelj is accused of disclosing the names and other personal details of three witnesses whose identity had been ordered by a Trial Chamber to be withheld from the public. Šešelj is alleged to have authored a book in which the information was published, along with other material such as excerpts of the written statement of one of these witnesses, the disclosure of which was prohibited.
The Trial Chamber ordered the Registrar to appoint an amicus curiae prosecutor to prosecute the charge set out in the Decision.
Šešelj will be called to enter a plea to the charge at a date to be announced.
The Tribunal regards the safety of witnesses and the integrity of confidential materials as essential elements in the rule of law. Several persons who have attempted to interfere with the judicial process by revealing confidential information or endangering witnesses have been prosecuted.
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The full text of the Decision and Order is available on the Tribunal’s website at:
http://www.icty.org/x/cases/seselj/tdec/en/090121.pdf
An information sheet on this case is available on the Tribunal’s website at:
http://www.icty.org/x/cases/seselj/cis/en/cis_seselj_en.pdf
Courtroom proceedings can be followed on the Tribunal’s website at www.icty.org
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International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
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