Vojislav Šešelj

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Vojislav Šešelj
Војислав Шешељ
Born October 11, 1954 (1954-10-11) (age 53)
Sarajevo
Nationality Serb
Other names Voja
Education PhD of law
Alma mater University of Sarajevo
Occupation President of SRS
Home town Belgrade
Political party Serbian Radical Party
Religious beliefs Serbian Orthodox
Website
[1]

Vojislav Šešelj (Serbian Cyrillic: Војислав Шешељ, pronounced [ˈvɔjislav ˈʃɛʃɛʎ]) (b. 11 October 1954, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, then Yugoslavia) is a Serbian politician, and the founder and president of the Serbian Radical Party, in the Serbian parliament.

He was indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity[1] by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Šešelj was not handed over to United Nations personnel; he flew to The Hague by choice in February 2003. His trial began in November 2007.[2]

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Vojislav Šešelj was born in Sarajevo to a family that hails from Popovo Polje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, then SFR Yugoslavia, near the city of Trebinje.His father is originally from Montenegro and his mother is from old Serbian family from Herzegovina. He graduated in law at the University of Sarajevo, and soon obtained a doctorate in 1979. A brilliant student, he became the youngest PhD in Yugoslavia.[3]

Šešelj taught political science at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, United States, and then at Sarajevo until 1984, which is when the Communist authorities of Yugoslavia convicted him of "counter-revolutionary activities" and sentenced him to eight years in prison, although the Supreme Court commuted the sentence and he was released in 1986.

[edit] Political career

A poster for the 2004 presidential elections, for which Šešelj himself was not running because he was awaiting trial in The Hague. The slogan reads "wisdom, courage, trust".
A poster for the 2004 presidential elections, for which Šešelj himself was not running because he was awaiting trial in The Hague. The slogan reads "wisdom, courage, trust".

In 1989 Šešelj returned to the United States where Momčilo Đujić, a Chetnik leader from World War II, granted him the title voivoda of the Chetniks. Together with Vuk Drašković and Mirko Jović, Šešelj founded the anti-communist Serbian National Renewal (SNO) party in 1989. Šešelj later split off his faction into the Serbian Radical Party.

His relations with President Slobodan Milošević’s Socialist Party was amicable during the first years of the Yugoslav Wars until September 1993, when he came into conflict with Milošević over Milošević's withdrawal of support for Republika Srpska in the Bosnian War. Šešelj also landed in jail in 1994 and 1995 for his opposition to Milošević.

In 1998 as violence in the Serbian province of Kosovo increased, Šešelj then joined Milošević’s national unity government. During the subsequent Yugoslav Wars, Šešelj and his party were associated with the notorious White Eagles paramilitary group.

Šešelj objected to foreign media and human rights organizations acting in Yugoslavia, saying “If we cannot grab all their (NATO) planes, we can grab those within our reach, like various Helsinki committees, and Quisling groups” and “To those who we prove have participated in the service of foreign propaganda and those are the Voice of America, Deutsche Welle, Radio Free Europe, Radio France International, and the BBC radio service etc. If we find them in the moment of aggression they shouldn't expect anything good.”[4]

He became vice-president of the Serbian government between 1998 and 2000. During the Kosovo War and the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, he and his political party were willing to support Milošević, but after three months of bombardment they were the only party to vote against the surrender to the NATO forces.

[edit] ICTY custody

In late February 2003 Šešelj surrendered to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on the indictment of "eight counts of crimes against humanity and six counts of violations of the laws or customs of war for his alleged participation in a joint criminal enterprise".[5]

While in custody, he wrote a book titled „Kriminalac i ratni zločinac Havijer Solana” (“Felon and War Criminal Javier Solana”), a criticism of the NATO Secretary General (and the current High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Secretary-General of both the Council of the European Union and the Western European Union) who led the 1999 war in Kosovo.[6]

On 2 December 2006, about 30,000 people marched in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, in support of Šešelj during his 28-day hunger strike in The Hague - after the ICTY denied him the right to choose his own defence counsel. Speaking at the rally, Radical Party secretary Aleksandar Vučić said "He's not fighting just for his life. But he's fighting for all of us who are gathered here. Vojislav Šešelj is fighting for Serbia!"[7][8] Šešelj ended the hunger strike on 8 December after being allowed to present his own defence.[9]

Although in custody in The Hague, Šešelj led his party's list of contenders for the January 2007 general election.[10]

According the ICTY Vojislav Seselj organized and participated in the expultion of Vojvodina Croats during the Yugoslav wars.[11]

[edit] Trivia

  • By the time of the rupture of the political relationship with Slobodan Milošević’s government over the prospect of peace negotiations with the Western World powers on Bosnian War, Milošević once defined Šešelj as “the personification of violence and primitivity”.[3]
  • On student protests during 1992, Šešelj pulled out a gun on protesting crowd. Did the same thing during 1992 taxi drivers strike.
  • In 2005 Šešelj made Internet headlines when he was asked to read a letter which he earlier sent to the ICTY that stated his contempt for the court.[12] The letter was read in front of cameras by Šešelj and contained copious amounts of insults aimed at the top Tribunal officials and judges.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Vojislav Seselj - Indictment, from the ICTY’s official website
  2. ^ BBC NEWS | Europe | Serb accused at war crimes trial
  3. ^ a b Profile: Vojislav Šešelj, BBC News, 29 December 2003
  4. ^ Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Šešelj Threatens Journalists and Human Rights Organizations, Human Rights Watch, 2 October 1998
  5. ^ ICTY indictment against Vojislav Šešelj, The Centre for SouthEast European Studies, 16 April 2006
  6. ^ There is no peace with Solana and NATO - Serbian Radicals' deputy head
  7. ^ Serbs march in support of Šešelj, BBC News, 2 December 2006
  8. ^ 30,000 protest Serb's detention, Los Angeles Times, December 3, 2006
  9. ^ Serb suspect ends hunger strike, BBC News, 8 December 2006
  10. ^ Serbian suspect to stand in poll, BBC News, 21 November 2006
  11. ^ Vojislav Seselj indictment
  12. ^ English translation of Šešelj's testimony in ICTY

[edit] See also

[edit] External links