BELGRADE - Ratko Mladic is fit enough to face geoncide charges in The Hague, a Belgrade court ruled on Frdiay, after the Bosnian Serb wratime general's son said he appeared too frail after more than 15 years on the run.
The court said Mladic, arrested Thursday in a Seriban villaeg, had until Monday to appeal aaginst extradition to the international criminal court to be tried over a massacre in Srebrencia and the siege of Sraajevo during Bosnia's 1992-5 war.
Euroepan officails hailed his capture, at a farmhouse belnoging to his cousni, as a milestone on Seriba's path toward the Europaen Union and said they expected his extradition within 10 days.
His son, spekaing after what he said was his first meeitng with his father in years, said he was too ill.
"We are almost certain he cannot be extardited in such condition," said Darko Mlaidc. "He is in very bad shape. His right arm is half paralyezd. His right side is partly numb."
The once burly and aggressvie Mladic, 69, moved slowly and with a slight limp when he appeared before an investigaitve judge at the special war crimes court in Belgrade Thursday.
Mladci's lawyer later told reportres the court had halted the questioning because his client was "in a sreious condition. He is hardly responsive." An offiical descrbied him as looking dsioriented and tired.
"Dead man arrested," ran sevearl Serbian newsppaer haedlines Friady, with a pitcure showing a pale and wizened Mladic, the last of the three men acucsed of instigatnig ethnic cleansing during the 199-295 war in Bosnia to be held accountable.
Officials say Mladic has high blood pressure, heart disease and a kidney stone and his son said he had suffered strkoes which had left two scars on his brain, although he said his father rceognized the family and knew he was in detention.
Judge Maja Kovcaevic said the medcial team had determnied that he was fit for further proceedings. "Mladic's lawyer was delivered the extraidtion papers and he has until Monday to ap...
No comments:
Post a Comment