The Prosecutor's Office of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has submitted a consolidated motion to sever the indictment against former Bosnian Serb Rebel leader Ratko Mladic, accused of genocide in Bosnia, to conduct separate trials and to amend the resulting Srebrenica indictment, the Srebrenica indictment to be tried first, the ICTY reported on Wednesday.
"The Prosecution has considered several options for proceeding against Mladic. Factors which have been taken into account include Mladic’s arrest at this late stage of the Tribunal’s mandate, the need to ensure justice for the victims, the desirability of commencing a trial as soon as possible, and the need to plan for the contingency that Mladic’s health could deteriorate," read the prosecution motion.
The Prosecution believes that the indictment should be severed and separate trials held, first on the Srebrenica indictment and then on the Sarajevo, Municipalities and Hostages indictment. The Prosecution estimates that the Prosecution’s case against Mladic in a Srebrenica trial can be presented within one year.
Mladic was arrested in May 2011 in Serbia and transferred to the ICTY detention unit where he awaits the start of the trial. While he was on the run he suffered a stroke which left a mark on his health.
