Serb ultranationalists mark 10 years since jailing of their leader at UN court

Faded and damaged posters depicting Vojislav Seselj, the founder of the ultra-nationalist Serbian Radical Party, currently on trial for alleged war crimes in The Hague tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, are seen in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013. Seselj surrendered to the Tribunal voluntarily on February 24, 2003. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) (The Associated Press)

Protesters display a flag on the balcony of the congress centre, showing Vojislav Seselj, the founder of the ultra-nationalist Serbian Radical Party, currently on trial for alleged war crimes in The Hague tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. Seselj surrendered to the Tribunal voluntarily on February 23, 2003. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) (The Associated Press)

BELGRADE, Serbia – About 2,000 ultranationalists have gathered to mark the 10th anniversary since their leader surrendered to a U.N. war crimes tribunal to face charges of using hate-laced speeches to incite Serb atrocities in the Balkan wars of the early 1990s.

Supporters of Vojislav Seselj's extremist Serbian Radical Party on Sunday demanded that the tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, release Seselj from custody after failing to hand down a verdict since 2003. Party official Nemanja Sarovic says Seselj "has been denied basic human rights."

Seselj's trial has been frequently held up, while he has been accused of contempt and witness intimidation. Prosecutors have asked for a 28-year sentence, but judges still have not delivered a verdict.

Seselj's supporters and their paramilitary troops were notorious during the wars in Croatia and Bosnia.