Guarantees offered for release of seriously ill Šešelj

Guarantees offered for release of seriously ill Šešelj

THE HAGUE -- The Hague Tribunal has asked Holland and Serbia to, by 18:00 hours CET, declare themselves on providing guarantees for Vojislav Šešelj's temporary release.

The court said it received "additional confidential information" that indicate Šešelj's health has deteriorated.

Considering this new turn of events, the court is considering granting temporary release to the accused, a statement said.

The UN tribunal further noted that it previously also considered the possibility of granting provisional release to Šešelj but that "due to the lack of his cooperation that procedure was canceled. "

Previously, Milovan Bojić, a member of a medical council that recently visited the leader of the Serb Radical Party (SRS) in the Hague, said his colon cancer had metastasized to the liver.

Bojić also stated that Šešelj "had not received adequate treatment" for the initial condition. The doctor suggested that Šešelj should be released so he can receive medical treatment in Serbia.

The cabinet of the president of the National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal Rasim Ljajić stated today that the Serbian government's position on this issue remains the same as it was when the court previously sought similar guarantees.

At the time, the government sent a positive reply - provided that Šešelj agreed to comply with the Hague's conditions, which he did not.

The court at the time demanded that Šešelj remains under house arrest while on provisional release, and be assigned police escort during "movement for medical purposes"; the conditions included a ban on communications with the victims related to his case, a...