Šešelj started a circus in The Hague, judge Antonetti finished it

The Hague court acquitted Vojislav Šešelj and as of today he is a free man.

Why is this verdict for Vojislav Šešelj what it is? When presiding judge Jean-Claude Antonetti read the final verdict, it was obvious that The Hague had chosen the path of least resistance.

Namely, this is a clear case of providing an alibi for the Serbian authorities in Belgrade. Simply put, Šešelj's war comrades Aleksandar Vučić, Prime Minister of Serbia, and Tomislav Nikolić, President of the Republic of Serbia, would be equally guilty for any crimes committed by Vojislav Šešelj.

Every word read by judge Antonetti touched the duo from Belgrade and circled around them.   

Political compromise before the verdict

The Hague unfortunately lacked the courage to set clear goals of punishing crimes at any cost, without political compromise, and to treat its verdicts both as adequate sanctions and as a matter of reconciliation.

Simply put, two individuals centered in the top state leadership of Serbia prevented Šešelj from being treated within the framework of a joint criminal enterprise. He is now treated as a mere political desperado. He is a high-ranking political leader of Serbia, who, according to the claims of this Tribunal chamber, played the role of Slobodan Milošević's court jester. With this, he has been officially declared a court jester, whose words no one took seriously. After all, his role as the court jester of Milošević's criminal regime continued in Belgrade until his arrest. During the nine-year-long trial at the Tribunal in The Hague, Šešelj created a circus, and then judge Antonetti ended that circus with a final circus act – an acquittal. His temporary release due to alleged illness now seems more like a diagnosis of the Tribunal.

The fact that the Tribunal treated Šešelj as a court jester now raises a question in Serbia: What treatment awaits Vučić and Nikolić, as members of the "joint enterprise"? 

Draft between Belgrade and The Hague

Of course, Antonetti stated that he does not deny the crimes in which members of the Chetnik movement and the SRS may have participated. But there is no direct hierarchical connection. Here we can also see the Tribunal's justification for those marches of fascism in Višegrad.

Of course, the chamber knew what was at stake. It is clear to everyone that paramilitary units carried out the dirtiest jobs for the criminal regime of Slobodan Milošević. The Hague has confirmed this on multiple occasions and in numerous trials. 

The Hague unfortunately agreed that Greater Serbia is a political rather than a criminal project, and presiding judge Antonetti read out that conclusion. As if all along we could hear an alibi for the two top men of Serbia, the Prime Minister and the President, rather than guilt for Šešelj.

We received an acquittal for Šešelj, but also a conviction for the Tribunal in The Hague. 

On several occasions, the presiding judge denied the Joint Criminal Enterprise. You can imagine how Šešelj's associates at the top of the Serbian state breathed a sigh of relief. Meteorologists today can also forecast stronger winds and a draft between Belgrade and The Hague.