Vojislav Šešelj

Vojislav Šešelj, born on October eleventh, nineteen fifty-four, is a prominent Serbian politician and the founder of the far-right Serbian Radical Party (SRS). He served as deputy prime minister of Serbia from nineteen ninety-eight to two thousand, establishing himself as a significant figure in Serbian politics.

In January two thousand three, Šešelj was charged by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) with crimes against humanity and war crimes related to the Bosnian War. Following the confirmation of these charges by a judge on February fourteenth, he surrendered to the ICTY on February twenty-third, two thousand three. His trial, which began on November seventh, two thousand seven, was marked by controversy, including a hunger strike and multiple penalties for disrespecting the court.

After spending nearly twelve years in detention at the United Nations Detention Unit in Scheveningen, Šešelj was allowed to return to Serbia in November two thousand fourteen for cancer treatment. He led the SRS in the two thousand sixteen elections, where his party secured twenty-three seats in the parliament.

On March thirty-first, two thousand sixteen, he was acquitted on all counts by the ICTY, but this verdict was appealed. On April eleventh, two thousand eighteen, the Appeals Chamber partially reversed the verdict, finding him guilty of crimes against humanity for instigating the deportation of Croats from Hrtkovci, resulting in a ten-year prison sentence. However, due to the time already served, he was not required to return to prison. In August two thousand eighteen, Šešelj appealed the conviction, but his request was denied.