U.N. judges refuse to order return of Serb war crimes defendant

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Judges at the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal on Tuesday denied a request to revoke the provisional release of a hardline Serb nationalist who was let out of prison on humanitarian grounds and has since re-entered politics at home. Vojislav Seselj, 60, who has cancer, was released in November after almost 12 years in detention. He has been ordered to return to The Hague when needed for his case and may not contact witnesses. Seselj has since rallied supporters and taken to television and radio to defend nationalism during the bloody break-up of the federal Yugoslavia in the 1990s. He also said he would never return to The Hague. [ID:nL6N0TL34L] Prosecutors had asked for his release to be revoked, saying that statement violated the conditions of release. But U.N. judges disagreed, saying a statement of intention was not the same as a refusal to comply. "The chamber has not ordered the accused's return to the tribunal. The accused has therefore not violated any orders," the judges said in the ruling. Serbia's government is led by Aleksandar Vucic, a former close aide to Seselj who renounced the ultra-nationalism of his old mentor in 2008 and swung behind Serbia's bid to join the European Union. Seselj is accused of inciting followers to commit murder, ethnic cleansing and other war crimes in Croatia and Bosnia. (Reporting By Thomas Escritt; Editing by Anthony Deutsch and Janet Lawrence)