Mladic in More Cooperative Mood
Accused expresses desire to improve relations with court.
Mladic in More Cooperative Mood
Accused expresses desire to improve relations with court.
As ex-Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic prepared to stand trial in The Hague, he told judges this week that he was “interested in the truth and nothing but the truth” and indicated that he wanted to improve relations with the tribunal.
Mladic’s trial is due to begin on May 14, and the status conference held on March 29 was held to address the numerous procedural issues that need to be sorted out before then.
His defence lawyer Branko Lukic said that there are still problems regarding the disclosure of a vast amount of materials from the prosecution, and asked that the start of trial be postponed “until the prosecution has met its obligations”.
He acknowledged that the prosecution was “working diligently” to resolve these issues.
When Mladic was given a chance to speak at the end of the hearing, he asked that the cameras which record proceedings be “zoomed in” on him.
“I want [people] to see I’m alive,” he told presiding Judge Alphons Orie.
As the judge informed the accused that people already knew he was alive, Mladic – wearing a suit and tie – began silently counting the number of cameras positioned around the courtroom.
“Time is running out for both you and I,” Mladic, who recently turned 70, told the 64-year-old Dutch judge.
“I am in no hurry. The only question is who will be first to join [whatever is] up there,” Mladic continued. “You are a Dutchman; I have nothing against that. Both you and I are interested in the truth.”
As at previous hearings, Mladic complained of health problems, saying the right side of his body was “numb” and that it took him a long time to complete tasks, including reading his own indictment.
He also objected to the bench accepting facts that have been established in other trials, something his lawyers have already formally challenged. (For more, see Mladic Lawyers Dispute Use of "Established Facts" .)
“Everything that has been adjudicated may be holy scripture, but I will not accept anything that been adjudicated,” Mladic said.
Judge Orie replied that this issue had already been taken up by his defence team, so Mladic did not need to speak about it.
The accused also asked for officials from Republika Srspska, the Serb entity of Bosnia and Hercegovina, to be allowed to visit him.
“I don’t want you to give me freedom, I want to fight for it,” Mladic told Judge Orie.
The two men have clashed at previous status conferences, when Mladic interrupted the judge, refused to stop talking when instructed to do so, and lashed out at the bench for being a “NATO court”. On one occasion last summer, Judge Orie had the defendant removed from the courtroom.
This week, however, the accused seemed more willing to engage with Judge Orie. While he did not stand up when the judge entered the courtroom – as is required – he indicated that he would do so next time.
“I would like to improve my relations with the court,” Mladic said. “In the future, I will rise when you enter, not because I respect you so much, but because I want to take part in this as an accused.”
Judge Orie replied that Mladic’s failure to stand “did not remain unnoticed”, and that his efforts to do so in future would be “highly appreciated”.
The next, and final, status conference before the trial is set for April 24.
Mladic was arrested in Serbia last May after 16 years as a fugitive. He was commander of the Bosnian Serb army from 1992 to 1996, and is alleged to have been responsible for some of the worst atrocities of the Bosnian war.
These include the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, which resulted in the murder of some 8,000 Bosniak men and boys, as well as the shelling and sniping campaign against Sarajevo, which killed about 12,000 civilians.
He is also charged with crimes of genocide, persecution, extermination, murder and forcible transfer. The indictment against him was reduced last December at the judges’ request, and it now deals with a total of 106 crimes instead of 196, and the number of Bosnian municipalities involved has been cut from 23 to 15.
The core elements of the case – the siege of Sarajevo, the massacre at Srebrenica, crimes committed in various municipalities, and the taking of United Nations hostages – remain the same, and the indictment still contains 11 counts.
The prosecution has stated that it intends to call a total of 410 witnesses, 158 of whom are expected to appear in court.
Rachel Irwin is an IWPR reporter in The Hague.
