Ratko Mladic Absent Due to Illness

Mladic, former Chief of the Main Headquarters with the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, was due to enter a plea to the amended indictment at the hearing planned for November 10 this year.

However, he filed a written motion with the Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY, informing it that he would not be able to attend the hearing and saying that he had discussed the subject with his Defence attorney Branko Lukic.

“I understand that I have the right to attend all sessions held as part of my trial. However, I waive my right to attend the hearing today. I give my permission to the Court to go on with the court proceedings in my absence, but in the presence of my Defence attorney,” Mladic's motion reads.

Under The Hague Tribunal's indictment, Mladic is charged in two counts with genocide against about 8,000 Bosniaks in Srebrenica in July 1995 and genocide against the non-Serb population in eight other Bosnian municipalities in 1992.

Besides that, Mladic is charged with the persecution of Bosniaks throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, terrorising the residents of Sarajevo by implementing a shelling and sniping campaign and taking UN staff members hostage in the period from 1992 to 1995. Mladic was arrested in Serbia in May this year, after being on the run for many years.

In October this year, The Hague Prosecution amended the indictment against Mladic, adding charges for the murders in Bisina village, which are connected to the genocide in July 1995. Those murders were not included in the previous version of the indictment. Mladic was due enter his plea to these allegations at the hearing today.

A status conference will be held in the absence of indictee Mladic on November 10.