Serbian war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic transferred to UN tribunal for trial

The Serbian war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic was today transferred to the United Nations tribunal for the former Yugoslavia to face charges of genocide and other crimes committed against Bosnian Muslim, Bosnian Croat and other non-Serb civilians in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995.

Mr. Mladic, who was arrested by Serbian authorities last Thursday after almost 16 years on the run was admitted to the UN Detention Unit in The Hague, where the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) is based.

Following a full medical examination by the detention unit’s medical staff, Mr. Mladic’s health will be continuously monitored and any treatment required will be provided, the tribunal said. His initial appearance will be announced in due course.

According to the indictment, forces under the command of Mr. Mladic, who headed the Bosnian Serb Army (VRS) Main Staff, committed genocide, amongst other crimes, when they summarily executed more than 7,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica in July 1995.

He is also charged with genocide for crimes committed in eastern and north western Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The indictment lists over 70 incidents of murder in 20 municipalities. It also alleges that Mr. Mladic’s forces tortured, mistreated and physically, psychologically and sexually abused civilians confined in 58 detention facilities in 22 municipalities. He is also facing charges for the shelling and sniping during the prolonged siege of the city of Sarajevo, in which thousands of civilians were killed and wounded.

The indictment states that Mr. Mladic committed the crimes as part of a joint criminal enterprise whose objective was to eliminate or permanently remove Bosnian Muslim, Bosnian Croat and other non-Serb inhabitants from large areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina.