(BBC) The Serbian ultra-nationalist leader, Vojislav Seselj, has been accused of inciting forces with "poisonous ideas" at the start of his war crimes trial.
Prosecutors at The Hague said speeches he made during the wars in Bosnia and Croatia in the 1990s led to the murder, torture and persecution of non-Serbs.
Mr Seselj, the leader of the Serbian Radical Party, has denied the charges.
He has said he will rely on a political defence and use the tribunal to show there is a conspiracy against Serbia.
Mr Seselj surrendered to the ICTY voluntarily in February 2003, vowing to clear his name of three charges of crimes against humanity and six counts of war crimes, including persecution, deportation, murder and torture.
However, he remained the figurehead of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) while awaiting trial and was elected one of its members of parliament in the January 2007 election.
The SRS subsequently became the biggest party in parliament, but was kept out of power by a coalition of reform-orientated parties.