Hague rejects Seselj’s demand to drop charges

The UN war crimes tribunal on Friday (February 19th) rejected a request by Serb Radical Party (SRS) leader Vojislav Seselj to drop all charges against him and terminate war crimes proceedings, due to the alleged violation of his rights as a defendant. Seselj based his request on the “doctrine of the misuse of proceedings” in the Anglo-Saxon system, insisting the goal of the trial chamber is to keep him in custody as long as possible. The trial chamber says postponements were necessary only to secure a lawful trial and provide extra time to both sides to check important elements.