Judges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia have scheduled former Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic’s initial court appearance for tomorrow morning, when he will be asked to enter a plea, according to a statement on the court’s Web site.
The announcement came after Mladic spent his first night in a UN isolation cell. Yugoslav war crimes tribunal spokeswoman Nerma Jelacic said isolation was standard for new arrivals at the prison.
She said Mladic has undergone medical tests and been given a copy of his indictment, less than a week after he was captured by Serb security forces after 16 years on the run.
Mladic faces trial on genocide charges for crimes that shocked the world during the 1992 to 1995 Bosnian war, including the killing of 8,000 Muslim men and boys in the worst massacre of civilians in Europe since World War II.
Jelacic said Mladic was given a list of defense lawyers who could help him through the initial proceedings of the war crimes court. .
When he appears in court, Mladic will be asked to formally confirm his identity and enter a plea to each of the charges against him. He also will be asked whether he has any complaints about the arrangements in the prison.
Like his old political boss Radovan Karadzic three years ago, Mladic may decline to plead to the charges at his first appearance, instead opting to delay a formal response by up to a month. Karadzic’s trial, which resumed on Tuesday after a two-month recess, is still in its early stages.
Mladic has said he does not recognize the authority of the UN tribunal.
Mladic was extradited from Belgrade on a Serbian government executive jet following his capture on Thursday at the home of a relative in a Serbian village. Judges in Belgrade rejected his appeal to delay his transfer on grounds of ill health, and Serbian Justice Minister Snezana Malovic authorized his handover to UN officials in The Hague.
She said the handover marked the fulfillment of Serbia’s “international and moral obligation.”
Additional reporting by Reuters
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