Ratko Mladic Wants Handcuffs and Belts Removed

Indictee Mladic spoke about his health condition and the fact that he was wearing handcuffs and belts during transport at the part of the conference that was closed to public.

Judge Alphons Orie said, at the open part of the conference, that the Court was responsible for security in the courtroom and Detention Unit, but the transportation from the Detention Unit to courtroom was under the control of the local Dutch authorities, adding that he would inform them about the indictee’s request.

During the status conference it was agreed that the Defence of Ratko Mladic, former Chief of the Main Headquarters of the Republika Srpska army, VRS, should respond to the proposal for separation of the indictment into two parts, one of which would be linked to crimes in Srebrenica, by the end of August this year.

Judge Orie said that “no delay” would happen in the trial while the Court considered the Prosecution’s motion for separation of the indictments and response by indictee Mladic’s Defence.

The Hague Prosecution’s indictment charges Mladic, 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.

Besides that, Mladic is charged with persecuting Bosniaks throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina and terrorising the citizens of Sarajevo through an artillery and sniping campaign, as well as taking UN personnel hostages, in the period from 1992 to 1995.

At this status conference judge Orie informed the Defence that it should file eventual objections to the indictment by September 12 this year.

Concerning the disclosure of The Hague Prosecution’s evidence, which might contain acquittal information related to indictee Mladic, Orie said that the final deadline would most probably be November 15, but he would inform the parties to the proceedings about it once he had consulted the members of the Trial Chamber.

Judge Orie said that the Prosecution and Mladic’s defence should enter into negotiations related to “the agreed facts” in order to determine the facts that are not disputable. Some of the facts that may be discussed during the negotiations are the existence of an armed conflict, data about the crime base and so on.

The Defence of indictee Mladic undertook to respond to indictee Radovan Karadzic’s request related to the disclosure of confidential data in this case. The deadline for submission of a response is 14 days.

Judge Orie said that regular status conferences would be held in the case of Mladic.

The next status conference is scheduled for October 6.