JURIST - Paper Chase: ICTY allows Seselj war crimes trial to continue

[JURIST] The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) [official website] ruled Wednesday that the war crimes trial of former Serb nationalist politician Vojislav Seselj [case materials; JURIST news archive] can continue. Seselj, charged with 14 counts of crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war, had sought last month to have the charges dismissed. The ICTY rejected his request [AFP report], finding sufficient evidence for the trial to continue. There has been no word from the court on when the trial will resume.

Seselj's war crimes trial, which began in 2006, resumed in early 2010, after being delayed [JURIST reports] for nearly a year over fears that witnesses were being intimidated. In February, Seselj went on trial [JURIST report] on charges that he released the names of 11 ICTY witnesses in violation of a confidentiality order. Last May, the ICTY appeals division upheld a 2009 contempt verdict [JURIST reports] against Seselj for revealing the identities of other witnesses that were supposed to remain confidential. Seselj is accused of establishing rogue paramilitary units affiliated with the SRS, which are believed to have massacred and otherwise persecuted Croats and other non-Serbs during the Balkan conflict.