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Judgment due in Serb leader’s contempt trial

The Hague — The UN’s Yugoslav war crimes tribunal will hand down judgment Friday in the contempt trial of Serb leader Vojislav Seselj for allegedly identifying three protected witnesses, the court said Monday.

"Judgment in the present case shall be delivered on Friday, July 24," said a statement by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.

The ultra-nationalist firebrand politician is already in the ICTY dock for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the Balkan wars in the early 1990s.

That trial, in which he stands accused of the persecution of Croat, Muslim and other non-Serb populations between 1991 and 1994, started in November 2007, with 71 witnesses testifying until it was adjourned indefinitely in February this year because of witness safety concerns.

In January, the tribunal said there was evidence that Seselj, 54, had identified three protected witnesses in a book he authored, and granted a prosecution bid to charge him accordingly.

According to prosecutors, the book contains numerous references to the three, including names, occupations and places of residence.

Seselj was tried for contempt on May 29 and risks up to seven years in jail if found guilty.

From his cell in The Hague, he continues to lead the Serbian Radical Party, the strongest opposition group in parliament in Belgrade.

In September 2008, the tribunal curbed Seselj’s communications privileges, saying he may have abused them to intimidate witnesses.

AFP/Expatica