Seselj did not accept conditions, stays in detention

BELGRADE - Leader of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) Vojislav Seselj remains in detention, as the deadline expired for him to state whether he accepts the conditions set out by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for his provisional release, which the Serbian government demanded for providing the guarantees, Belgrade-based attorney Toma Fila told Tanjug.

There is no special procedure in such cases, and if there is no answer from the accused, then he is considered to have rejected the conditions attached by the Tribunal, explained Fila who defended several accused Serbs before the Tribunal.
The three-day time frame, in which Seselj should have given his consent in writing and a legally binding form that he accepts the Tribunal's conditions, expired on Monday.

As a condition for the provisional release until the delivery of a judgment, the Tribunal ordered that Seselj be placed in home confinement, in contravention of Rule 65 (B) titled “Provisional Release” which the Tribunal invokes.

The Trial Chamber requested that Seselj states his commitment to respect the conditions: surrender his passport to the Serbian authorities, be escorted by the police when travelling for medical treatment, not contact any witnesses or victims or seek to influence them in any manner, not interfere in any way with the proceedings or with the administration of justice, and not discuss his case before the Tribunal, except with members of his legal team.

The ICTY stated earlier on Tuesday that it did not receive any answer from Seselj, and Seselj had stated previously that he does not want to accept the Tribunal's conditions and any guarantees from the Serbian government.

Fila noted that, under...