No Joint Persecution

Seselj denied the allegation that he and Karadzic participated in a joint criminal enterprise, claiming that it was untrue. According to the charges, the joint criminal enterprise was aimed at expelling Muslims and Croats from large parts of territories of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia and including those territories in a unified Serbian state.

The witness pointed out that he was in conflict with other alleged members of that enterprise, mentioning Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, who arrested him, as an example.

Seselj, leader of the Serbian Radical Party, SDS, was on trial for crimes against Croats and Muslims in Croatia, Vojvodina and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the period from 1991 to 1993. A verdict against him is due to be pronounced on October 30.

In a written statement, which was included in the case file, Seselj confirmed that 100 SRS volunteers participated in the conflicts in Zvornik in April 1992, but he said that they belonged to JNA. They withdrew when the JNA withdrew 15 days later. According to the witness’ statement, those volunteers did not abuse civilians.

Seselj did not deny having contacts with Vasilije Vidovic, Branislav Gavrilovic and Slavko Aleksic, leaders of Serb formations in the Sarajevo surrounding areas, but he said that they were local residents and that their units were parts of the RS Army. Also, he said that he had “not received any pieces of information”, suggesting that the three of them committed any crimes.

During the cross-examination Seselj confirmed to Prosecutor Alan Tieger that he supported Karadzic and policy of the Serbian Democratic Party, whose President he was, in May 1991, establishing “Chetnik units on Mount Romanija” at the same time.

The Prosecutor then quoted an extract from Seselj’s interview, in which he said that, “unless the JNA disarms Ustashas, there would be blood”, that “Chetnik commandos will attack Zagreb” and that “revenge will be blind”, causing innocent victims. 

“Not only that this statement reflects my opinion in 1991, but it reflect my current opinion too. I still think that, if somebody somewhere jeopardizes the Serbian people, Serbs’ response should be proportionate. We’ve seen enough humiliation of the Serbian people, enough destruction of the Serbian national entity, enough destruction of Serbian towns and villages,” Seselj said.  

While saying that the threats that Chetniks would attack Zagreb were “a bluff” and that those threats were said when Serbs were subjected to “torture” and “killed” in Croatia, Seselj expressed regrets for “not having the power to execute the threats”.

He confirmed that the SRS sent “many volunteers to villages in Slavonia” at that time and that they “helped in defending those areas”, because the JNA kept “a neutral” position.

Tieger asked Seselj whether he stuck to his allegation from the spring of 1991, when he said that “Bosnia undoubtedly belonged to Serbs” and that, “if Muslim fundamentalists did not like it, they could pack their things and leave”, just like the majority of the population, in case they “became loyal citizens of Serbia”.

“As far as my threats to Islamic fundamentalists are concerned, you can consider that they are still valid on all territories…As far as Bosnia and Herzegovina and its ethnic composition are concerned, only Serbs have always lived in it, more than 90 percent of Serbs…Those are Serb-Orthodox , Serb-Muslims and Serb-Catholics. My party’s policy is the policy of universal national unity of all Serbs,” Seselj said.

The Prosecutor is due to continue cross-examining Seselj on Monday, June 10.