The arrest of the Šešelj radical will increase the pro-Russian sentiment in Serbia
The head of the Serbian Radical Party, Vojislav Šešelj, did not obey the demand of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia to return to The Hague, where the decision on his conditional release was canceled, the newspaper said Look.
“Let the police come. It won't be easy to arrest me, ”said Šešelj.
According to him, the ICTY has made such a decision by his former comrade in the radical party, and now Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic. “I know that the regime in Belgrade is behind this, they are afraid of me, since the radical rating is more than 20%. The more persecutions I get, the stronger I am, ”he told reporters.
The Tribunal explained its decision by saying that Šešelj had violated the conditions for early release.
“The court decision legally obliges the leadership of Serbia to arrest the politician. But it is extremely important that the current president Nikolic did not only belong to the Serbian Radical Party before 2008, but was also the deputy of Šešelj and one of the best friends of the leader of the radicals, ”Vzglyad writes, citing Serbian publications. While Nikolic keeps silence.
The newspaper recalls that "the main process continues at the Hague Tribunal on charges of inciting ethnic hatred and incitement to commit crimes against the non-Serbian population of Croatia." Seselj was kept in custody with 2003, in November 2014 was released “for the treatment of cancer in Serbia”.
According to the Russian expert on Serbia, Elena Guskova, the forced return of Seselj to The Hague could lead to “mass clashes between supporters of the politician and the Serbian police”. And then, “when representatives of the international criminal tribunal released Šešelj, there was no question of any returning back,” the expert noted. “In addition, all the accusations against the Serb were left without evidence. Seselj from the very beginning said that he would not return to The Hague. He was released by the court without any conditions, ”she added.
“I think that in the near future the leadership of the country will not be able to take any decision and at the same time will try to avoid serious clashes on the street,” predicts Guskova. - Some Serbian officials have already said that with this decision the Hague Tribunal is trying to destabilize the political situation in the country and even to remove President Nikolic from power. This decision is aimed at destabilizing the country. ”
According to her, “in Serbia, many say that Seselj’s political position has become unacceptable for the country's leadership - he continues to strengthen his political party, often holds rallies and is active in political life.”
Thus, the Nikolic regime found itself in a stalemate: “on the one hand, there is more than likely public outrage, on the other, the predicted pressure of the European Union, which cannot be integrated in any way. In this regard, it is quite natural to strengthen traditional pro-Russian sentiments, which Moscow can take advantage of, ”the newspaper writes.
Researcher at the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Anna Filimonova notes: “The current regime in Serbia cannot be called pro-Russian. On the contrary, with great confidence it can be called pro-Western, which seeks to confidently go along the Euro-Atlantic path - considering that the United States and the EU are putting pressure on Belgrade in a monstrous manner. But the Serbian people are so Russophile-minded that the government cannot conduct an anti-Russian policy. ”
“Certainly,” the expert notes, “Moscow will not interfere in the political processes between Belgrade, Seselj and the Hague Tribunal. But Russian representatives at the highest international level, including in the UN Security Council, have repeatedly reminded that Šešelj has been sitting for almost 12 years just like that. ” Moreover, she adds, “for all these years, the Hague Tribunal could not bring the case to the end.” “It is impossible to return Seselj there. It is known that a Serbian politician has cancer, he has liver metastasis, ”said Filimonova. So Moscow, “without interfering in the process, may well appeal both to the legal side of the issue and to humanitarian norms,” concludes the interlocutor.
“Let the police come. It won't be easy to arrest me, ”said Šešelj.
According to him, the ICTY has made such a decision by his former comrade in the radical party, and now Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic. “I know that the regime in Belgrade is behind this, they are afraid of me, since the radical rating is more than 20%. The more persecutions I get, the stronger I am, ”he told reporters.
The Tribunal explained its decision by saying that Šešelj had violated the conditions for early release.
“The court decision legally obliges the leadership of Serbia to arrest the politician. But it is extremely important that the current president Nikolic did not only belong to the Serbian Radical Party before 2008, but was also the deputy of Šešelj and one of the best friends of the leader of the radicals, ”Vzglyad writes, citing Serbian publications. While Nikolic keeps silence.
The newspaper recalls that "the main process continues at the Hague Tribunal on charges of inciting ethnic hatred and incitement to commit crimes against the non-Serbian population of Croatia." Seselj was kept in custody with 2003, in November 2014 was released “for the treatment of cancer in Serbia”.
According to the Russian expert on Serbia, Elena Guskova, the forced return of Seselj to The Hague could lead to “mass clashes between supporters of the politician and the Serbian police”. And then, “when representatives of the international criminal tribunal released Šešelj, there was no question of any returning back,” the expert noted. “In addition, all the accusations against the Serb were left without evidence. Seselj from the very beginning said that he would not return to The Hague. He was released by the court without any conditions, ”she added.
“I think that in the near future the leadership of the country will not be able to take any decision and at the same time will try to avoid serious clashes on the street,” predicts Guskova. - Some Serbian officials have already said that with this decision the Hague Tribunal is trying to destabilize the political situation in the country and even to remove President Nikolic from power. This decision is aimed at destabilizing the country. ”
According to her, “in Serbia, many say that Seselj’s political position has become unacceptable for the country's leadership - he continues to strengthen his political party, often holds rallies and is active in political life.”
Thus, the Nikolic regime found itself in a stalemate: “on the one hand, there is more than likely public outrage, on the other, the predicted pressure of the European Union, which cannot be integrated in any way. In this regard, it is quite natural to strengthen traditional pro-Russian sentiments, which Moscow can take advantage of, ”the newspaper writes.
Researcher at the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Anna Filimonova notes: “The current regime in Serbia cannot be called pro-Russian. On the contrary, with great confidence it can be called pro-Western, which seeks to confidently go along the Euro-Atlantic path - considering that the United States and the EU are putting pressure on Belgrade in a monstrous manner. But the Serbian people are so Russophile-minded that the government cannot conduct an anti-Russian policy. ”
“Certainly,” the expert notes, “Moscow will not interfere in the political processes between Belgrade, Seselj and the Hague Tribunal. But Russian representatives at the highest international level, including in the UN Security Council, have repeatedly reminded that Šešelj has been sitting for almost 12 years just like that. ” Moreover, she adds, “for all these years, the Hague Tribunal could not bring the case to the end.” “It is impossible to return Seselj there. It is known that a Serbian politician has cancer, he has liver metastasis, ”said Filimonova. So Moscow, “without interfering in the process, may well appeal both to the legal side of the issue and to humanitarian norms,” concludes the interlocutor.
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