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At status conferences held in late April and on May 3 this year, the Defence of Mladic, former Commander of the Main Headquarters with the Republika Srpska Army, VRS, requested the Tribunal to let it have an additional 90 days for trial preparations and postpone the beginning of the trial, originally set for May 16 this year.
However, Alphons Orie, Chairman of the Trial Chamber with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY, declined two requests by Mladic’s Defence. As Orie said in his decision, the ICTY Chamber will announce its reasons for rejecting the requests at a later stage.
At the status conference held in late April this year Branko Lukic, the Defence attorney of Mladic, said that The Hague Prosecution was late in fulfilling its obligation to disclose its evidence to the Defence, violating the substantial element of a fair trial.
The ICTY Prosecution promised that it would submit all pieces of evidence. During the status conference held on May 3 this year it was said that the Defence had received all pieces of evidence in the meantime, but Defence attorney Lukic pointed out that the trial should still be postponed, because it was not possible to review all the pieces of evidence in such a short period of time.
Mladic is charged with genocide, crimes against humanity and violation of the laws and customs of war committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the period from 1992 to 1995. He was arrested in May last year. His initial appearance before ICTY judges took place on June 3, 2011.
Hague Tribunal judges decided that the trial of Mladic would begin with presentation of introductory statements on May 16 this year.
D.Dz.
