Released for Treatment: Goran Hadžić Arrives in Serbia

Hague indictee Goran Hadžić arrived in Belgrade on Wednesday evening after the Hague Tribunal (ICTY) decided to release him temporarily due to his poor health and continuation of treatment in Serbia, Hadžić's lawyer Zoran Živanović confirmed to the media, reports the Patria News Agency.

Hadžić landed at Belgrade's "Nikola Tesla" airport around 11 PM on an Air Serbia flight from Amsterdam, and then headed towards Novi Sad where he owns a house. There, according to the decision of the Trial Chamber, he will spend his time under the supervision of Serbian authorities, who have pledged to the ICTY to monitor him under the conditions set for temporary release.

After being diagnosed with a brain tumor in November 2014, the ICTY ordered that Hadžić be released temporarily for treatment. According to the decision of the Trial Chamber, he is expected to return to The Hague in May. However, the exact date of his return is a "confidential matter," the President of the National Council for Cooperation with the ICTY, Rasim Ljajić, also confirmed to journalists earlier on Wednesday.

Serbia will cover the costs of Hadžić's travel and treatment, and as stated in the Court's decision, it is also obliged to arrest him if he attempts to flee or violates the terms of his temporary release in any other way.

Hadžić's trial has been suspended since October 2014, when he fell ill in the detention unit. The defense specified that Hadžić suffers from a tumor and that the illness is "in its final stage."

Hadžić's trial for crimes in Croatia from 1991 to 1993 began in 2012 after he was arrested following seven years in hiding, and was interrupted in November last year.