Serbian Radical leader
taken out of courtroom refusing Hague-appointed lawyer
BBC Monitoring Europe (Political) - September 14, 2006, Thursday
Text of report by Serbian independent news agency FoNet
The Hague, 14 September: Hague tribunal security guards this afternoon took
Serbian Radical Party [SRS] chairman Vojislav Seselj out of the courtroom after
the accused had said that he did not want an imposed lawyer but rather to defend
himself on his own, adding that he did not wish to take part in the trial in
this way.
"You have stripped me of my right to defend myself, and then you want me to play
an extra in the courtroom. Well, I do not want to be an extra," Seselj said,
after the three-member defence team had presented itself to pre-trial Dutch
judge Alfonso Ori.
Ori interrupted him and warned that he would be able to address himself to
judges only via lawyer David Hooper from Great Britain appointed for Seselj on 1
August this year.
Seselj replied that this afternoon he had filed a demand for Ori's dismissal,
adding that "Ori is obliged to immediately stop the proceedings because of
that". The presiding judge responded by saying that Seselj should say this, too,
via the appointed lawyer, Hooper.
"You falsely presented this man with a bird's nest on the top of his head as my
defence lawyer. He will never be my defence lawyer. You brought actors here to
act as my defence lawyers but they will never be my defence lawyers. They are
your spies," Seselj continued, but he was once again interrupted.
"If you want to choose not to attend, you will not be in a position to follow
these proceedings. I advise you that you should better remain in the courtroom,
but if you do not wish to participate in the proceedings, I will give orders to
the security to escort you out. You are not an extra for me. You are the accused
in this case, but if you believe that you feel like an extra [as received] you
may choose to remain in the courtroom. If you wish to leave I will order the
security to escort you out of the courtroom," Judge Ori explained.
"Be kind enough and give an order to them to take me out," Seselj said.
Proceedings resumed in Seselj's absence.
Source: FoNet news agency,
Belgrade, in Serbian 1338 gmt 14 Sep 06
Copyright 2006 British Broadcasting Corporation
Posted for Fair Use only.