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Hague Tribunal: Serbia Not Responding to Questions on Šešelj Contempt Case
🇷🇸 Serbia /Crime & Justice

Hague Tribunal: Serbia Not Responding to Questions on Šešelj Contempt Case

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

Translated from Serbian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • The Hague Tribunal reports that Serbia is not responding to its inquiries regarding the progress of a case against Vojislav Šešelj for contempt of court.
  • A court-appointed monitor, Dagmara Albrecht, has sent multiple emails to Serbia's Ministry of Justice seeking information on preliminary steps in the case, which was transferred to Serbia in February 2024.
  • Albrecht has not received responses from Serbian authorities, hindering her ability to monitor the proceedings and suggesting potential delays or lack of cooperation.

The Hague Tribunal has expressed frustration over Serbia's lack of response to its inquiries concerning the contempt of court case against Serbian Radical Party leader Vojislav Šešelj. Dagmara Albrecht, appointed by the tribunal to monitor the proceedings after they were transferred to Serbia in February 2024, has been unable to obtain crucial information.

Albrecht reported in late May that she had sent numerous emails to Serbia's Ministry of Justice requesting updates on the preliminary steps of the case. She noted that Serbian prosecutors and ministry officials had indicated the necessity of these steps in the fall of the previous year. Despite promises of assistance from an assistant minister in November 2025, Albrecht stated she has received no replies to her emails.

To date, I have not received any response to these emails.

— Dagmara AlbrechtCourt monitor's statement on the lack of response from Serbia's Ministry of Justice.

Further complicating the situation, Albrecht also sought information from the War Crimes Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade regarding whether they were awaiting a "preliminary opinion" from the Ministry of Justice. She also inquired about the prosecution's intentions for further action on the transferred case. As of May 18, she had still not received this information, suggesting that the case remains stalled pending the ministry's opinion.

According to Albrecht's report, the case against Šešelj and others is awaiting a preliminary opinion from the Ministry of Justice. She indicated her intention to visit Belgrade to discuss the matter with judicial officials, provided they are available. The War Crimes Prosecutor's Office had previously informed Albrecht that they requested a preliminary opinion from the Ministry of Justice on whether Šešelj's trial could be considered a political offense that might "violate the sovereignty, security, and public order" in Serbia. The prosecution stated that they could only proceed if this opinion was positive, as a negative one would halt their work on the case.

A negative opinion from the Ministry of Justice would prevent further work (by prosecutors) on this case.

— Dagmara AlbrechtReporting the condition set by the War Crimes Prosecutor's Office for proceeding with the case.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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