On 21 January 2009, Vojislav Šešelj became the first suspect on trial for war crimes at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to be charged with Contempt of the Tribunal. The order in lieu of an indictment on a single count of Contempt follows the publication of a book authored by Šešelj detailing extensive information about the trial proceedings against him.

Mr. Šešelj is charged with knowingly and wilfully interfering with the administration of justice, through the disclosure of confidential information in violation of orders by the Court granting protective measures. The charge pertains to a Trial Chamber Decision on 30 August 2007 ordering the use of pseudonyms, image and voice distortion for witnesses, as well as the prohibition on the disclosure of information which may identify protected witnesses. It is alleged that the book authored by Šešelj was published after this decision.

The book in question contains information describing the evidence given by protected witnesses, as well as publishing the pseudonyms of those witnesses. The book also contains information on the professions, places of birth, places of residence and the relatives of at least three witnesses, in addition to using the real names of witnesses to correspond with information described under their pseudonyms. The Trial Chamber considered that this information allows for the identification of the witnesses. Mr. Šešelj will be called at a later date to enter a plea to the charge. If convicted, Šešelj faces up to seven years imprisonment or a fine of up to 100 000 euros.

Hunger Strike

Vojislav Šešelj is no stranger to controversy at the ICTY. In November 2006, the former law student went on hunger strike until various demands of his were met, including his right to self-representation, an issue which caused significant legal difficulties for the Tribunal. Šešelj himself submitted a motion for Contempt proceedings in 2007 against former ICTY Prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte, alleging that the Prosecutor had threatened and intimidated witnesses.

Mr. Šešelj was the president of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) and a prominent political figure in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). He is charged on the basis of individual criminal responsibility with eight counts of crimes against humanity and six counts of violations of the laws or customs of war.

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