ZOG Arrests Former Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic

[Serbian]

Tuesday 28.06.2011 | 12:07

Hague to expedite proceedings against Mladić

Source: Tanjug

SARAJEVO -- The charges against Ratko Mladić are strong and the prosecution is working to expedite proceedings against him, said Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz.


Serge Brammertz Tanjug, file


In an interview for the Tuesday edition of the Sarajevo daily Dnevni Avaz, he pointed out the Prosecutor's Office would do everything to prove Mladić's individual accountability for numerous crimes.

We have a very strong foundation for the Mladić case. But, of course, we need to determine his individual criminal responsibility for these crimes and we will rely on some of the evidence which did not necessarily need to be presented in proceedings against other indictees, Brammertz said.

He pointed out the indictment against Mladić had already been organized and harmonized with the indictment against Radovan Karadžić and would focus on the ethnic cleansing campaign, abuse of civilians in Sarajevo, genocide in Srebrenica and taking UN peacekeepings troops hostage.

The chief prosecutor again expressed satisfaction that Mladić had been arrested, noting the question still remained as to how he was able to evade capture for so many years.

He added he still expected the Serbian authorities would arrest Goran Hadžićas well as Radovan Stanković, who fled to Serbia from a prison in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where he was convicted for war crimes.

Mladić was arrested May 26 in the village of Lazarevo near Zrenjanin, and extradited to the Hague on May 31.

from the comments section

What an amazing statement. How do you expedite justice? Read out that the person is guilty as charged and pronounce sentence?
If these words were used in a real court setting there would be uproar of denying the accused justice, but not when you are in front of a tribunal at The Hague or in Guantanamo Bay.
Western justice at its best in the 21 century. For those that do not follow history, Joe Stalin ran show trials in the 1930s in the Soviet Union and these modern-day Tribunals are an exact replica.
(sj, 28 June 2011 13:07)


No truth will come out of this trial. The outcome is pre-determined, much like a show trial that Stalin used to conduct, rather this time it is in the hands of NATO under the cover of the UN. The fact that the media has made such a huge deal about Mladic's arrest for years means that it would be the biggest embarrasment if he was to be released, so there is zero chance of this happening. The Hague is a disgrace and shouldn't be recognised as a legal institution.
(SCP UK, 28 June 2011 14:45)



"The charges against Ratko Mladić are strong and the prosecution is working to expedite proceedings against him, said Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz."

The charges are strong, but what about the evidence?
(bc, 28 June 2011 17:54)

[Serbian]

Sunday 3.07.2011 | 13:20

Mladić to appear in court on Monday

Source: Tanjug

THE HAGUE -- Ratko Mladić will appear before the Hague Tribunal Monday to enter a plea on the charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of customs of war.



He will appear without a lawyer, since the Hague Tribunal Secretariat is yet to appoint him a permanent counsel from a list submitted by Mladić himself.

At his initial appearance before the court, he declined to enter a plea, saying he needed more time to study them. The court scheduled the next hearing for July 4.

Hague Tribunal spokeswoman Nerma Jelačić told AFP that if Mladić refused to plead on the charges again Judge Alphons Orie would enter a not guilty plea on his behalf.

[Serbian]

Monday 4.07.2011 | 11:17

Mladić "removed" from Hague courtroom

Source: B92, Tanjug

THE HAGUE -- Ratko Mladić appeared before the Hague Tribunal for the second time on Monday, where he was to enter his plea on the indictment raised against him.

Unofficial reports said that this was preceded by negotiations with the goal of persuading Mladić to appear in the courtroom tody, but once he did, he was soon removed for interrupting the proceedings.

Judge Alfons Orie refused Mladić's request to have lawyers he chose himself represent him, rather than the one appointed by court.

After that, the former military leader of Serbs in Bosnia refused to enter his plea.

Mladić was cautioned by the judge to "remove his cap, not to speak out of turn and not to communicate with the gallery", said reports.

Mladić requested to be given more time to enter his plea, which was also denied.

"What kind of court are you, you're no court. You won't even let me defend myself," Mladić shouted at the judge before being escorted out.

Afterwards the judge read all counts of the indictment and entered pleas of not guilty on Mladić's behalf.

Mladić requested that his Belgrade lawyer Miloš Šaljić and Russian Aleksandr Mezayev conduct his defense.

At his initial appearance before the court, on June 3, he declined to plead on the charges, saying he needed more time to study them.

The court in The Hague charged Mladić with genocide and war crimes.

[Serbian]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsuWsWCYG94&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsuWsWCYG94&feature=player_embedded

He says that without his lawyer he is not going to listen

"you don't let me defend myself, you don't give me the right to a lawyer
you are not a court, what are you? You don't let me breathe."

[Damian Smith]

The court is a sick travesty of justice. They will not allow him a lawyer he wants, instead they issue him with a list of tame picked lawyers they say he can have. The whole trial is a sick perversion of justice as we already know what the outcome will be.

[Serbian]

Originally Posted by Damian Smith

The court is a sick travesty of justice. They will not allow him a lawyer he wants, instead they issue him with a list of tame picked lawyers they say he can have. The whole trial is a sick perversion of justice as we already know what the outcome will be.

If the show trial becomes too farcical and embarrassing for ZOG they will just kill him, like they killed Slobodan Milosevic, Slavko Dokmanovic, Milan Kovacevic, Milan Babic and other Serbs in custody.

Mladic asked for them to give him his hat because he has severe headaches which he blames on the cold in the courtroom, but they took it from him.

[Mike Parker]

Serbia: the dark side of disgraced authority...

Elena GUS’KOVA | 30.05.2011 |

The arrest of General Mladic is a shameful page in Serbian history. Politicians are remembered for their deeds. Besides, the following generations of people will often remember different events than those that politicians distinguished themselves by. For instance, Milos Obrenovic, who did much to secure Serbian autonomy in the 19th century, is remembered for his killing the leader of the First Serbian Uprising, Karageorge, who was actually his political rival. Slobodan Milosevic will be remembered for his courageous struggle as he tried to defend the honour and dignity of Serbia and the Serbs at Tribunal hearings at a time when the entire western world tried to demonize him as dictator and murderer. And there are many more examples of this kind. The incumbent Serbian President, Boris Tadic, is a feeble politician that chose to extradite Radovan Karadzic and General Ratko Mladic to The Hague for legal lynching.

The entire world is singing hallelujah to the victory over the criminal of global proportions. In Sarajevo, he was called “a Hitler Nazi”; in Zagreb, the murderer of hundreds of Croats; Turkey demands that he be immediately executed, while Australian television tells their audiences about the way he made parents eat their own children.

Serbian politicians are jubilant on the assumption that they have surmounted the last barrier on their way “to Europe”, but the independent Serbian news media point to the dark side of and betrayal by the disgraced top-echelon politicians. Serbian patriots take to the streets in many cities, marketplaces is where the arrest of Mladic is currently being discussed and assessed, and you will never hear a word of approval of the authorities’ move! Belgrade remains packed with police, which means that the government is aware of how the people feel about their betrayal.

The world is gushing and exulting with joy without bothering to fathom out the essence of what is happening. People have barbaric notions cudgelled into their heads that Serbs are guilty of all that happened in the Balkans. Few will really know of actual occurrences. We studied the events in the Balkans; we know documented facts, political and military leaders, and the chronology of developments; we do know what actually happened during the breakup of Yugoslavia, and we wrote a lot about General Mladic and his inner circle. We are also aware of the political reasons for setting up the Tribunal, and of the anti-Serbian campaign, launched by many European and world centres.

The struggle that is being waged around the General is a struggle of good and evil, of patriotism and treachery, loyalty to one’s duty and unscrupulousness, military honour and disgrace. Ratko Mladic has long since become legend… The Daily Telegraph has included him on the list of 30 best-known military leaders of this day and age, adding in a comment that many army officers who had talks with him see him as a genius of tactics, albeit a “madman”. Throughout the war, politicians, reporters and, above all, the military, - the blue-beret peacekeepers, tried hard to secure a meeting with him. The enemy feared him, while Serbs idolized him for his reputation for honest dealing, military professionalism, courage and fidelity to his country, and also humaneness. Mladic often said that his guiding principles were dignity, honour, faith and freedom. Whenever the General could, he saved people, whether Serbs, or Croats, or Muslims.

I met the General on several occasions. He has a memory like sponge and knows a lot about Russian poets and writers. Ratko Mladic is a wonderful storyteller. He graphically reproduced the details of a dinner with an English lord, of his meeting with a US military attaché on the staircase of the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow, and conversations with French Generals. He is simple to deal with, he is clever, well-educated, knows his worth, he is a high-calibre military professional, and yet his life philosophy is akin to that of an ordinary peasant. His life philosophy is quite simple: the people of Serbia went through untold suffering throughout their history, survived genocide on several occasions but always forgave their malefactors, and were kind and well-wishing with regard to their neighbours. The Serbs had never actually believed that the tragedy might repeat itself. In that war, the people of Serbia are again suffering, are again subjected to genocide. “I will do my best to prevent this from ever happening again. The Serbian people in Bosnia-Herzegovina will live in an independent state”. When I talked about him with his officers and men, I realized that they not just liked him, but actually idolized him. His war-fighting skills instilled hope in Bosnian Serbs for the creation of their own state. And that is precisely how it all worked out. Today Respublika Srpska in Bosnia-Herzegovina is around thanks only to the policy of Radovan Karadzic and the war-fighting skills of General Ratko Mladic. His troops’ love for him and his entire people’s strong belief in him made him convinced of his right cause.

I am very sorry that today’s Serbian government has, in a bid to please those who destroyed and tried to do away with Yugoslavia, organized a round-up of the man whom it should have glorified as a national hero, described as the winner and seen as a true defender of Fatherland.

The purpose of the unseemly move is clear, with all Serbian political quarters elaborating on it since the arrest of Mladic. Today’s Belgrade is prepared to extradite Mladic in exchange for Serbia’s EU membership. My foot it gets it. The Europeans and Americans have still many conditions up their sleeve that Belgrade will be urged to meet shortly. One of these is recognition of the independence of Kosovo. Several days ago, the US Ambassador to Kosovo, Christopher Dell, said that accepting the reality of an independent Kosovo is a precondition for considering Serbia’s joining the European Union. This will be followed by a whole list of other conditions, such as the independence of Vojvodina, autonomy for Serbia’s southern districts, joining NATO etc. etc.

http://www.strategic-culture.org/new...authority.html

[Serbian]

Wednesday 17.08.2011 | 14:00

Hague prosecution seeks two trials against Mladić

Source: Tanjug

THE HAGUE -- The Hague Tribunal has proposed splitting the case against Ratko Mladić into two parts to speed up the trial, the court said on Wednesday.



Hague prosecutors said they wanted to conduct two separate trials, one for Srebrenica and the other for the siege of Sarajevo, crimes in a number of Bosnia-Herzegovina municipalities and taking international hostages. They want to deal with Srebrenica first and to extend the indictment to also include war crimes committed in the village of Bisina.

The prosecutors said that Mladić's arrest came at the time when the mandate of the war crimes tribunal is about to expire. Because of that, worried by Mladić's health and wanting to "maximize the prospect of justice for the victims," prosecutors said they wanted the trial to begin as soon as possible.

Splitting the indictment and having two separate trials would best serve the interest of justice, Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz said in a court filing dated Tuesday but made public on Wednesday.

If the Trial Chamber upholds splitting the indictment and holding two separate trials, the prosecution will deal with the Srebrenica case first, the prosecution said.

They said the number of charges against Mladić would remain the same, but splitting the case was a prudent and practical step that would not compromise Mladić's rights.

The prosecution said it could present its evidence against Mladić in the Srebrenica trial within one year and be ready to start the second trial when the first is completed.

The former war-time military commander of Serbs in Bosnia is charged with genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war during the 1992-1995 armed conflict in BiH.

He was arrested in the village of Lazarevo near Zrenjanin, northern Serbia, on May 26, and was transferred to the UN detention facility in Scheveningen, near The Hague, on May 31.

When he first appeared in court in June, Mladić postponed entering his plea. On July 4, he was removed from the courtroom after persistently refusing to enter a plea and interrupting the judge several times.

The session resumed without Mladić's presence and with the Trial Chamber entering formal pleas of not guilty on behalf of Mladić, as envisaged by the Hague rule book in the event of the indictee's refusal to enter a plea.

[Serbian]

Thursday 18.08.2011 | 15:25

Mladić undergoes surgery in Netherlands

Source: B92, Blic

BELGRADE -- Hague Tribunal indictee Ratko Mladić had a surgery in The Hague on Wednesday and he feels well, B92 has learned.

Mladić had a surgery to repair his hernia on Wednesday and he called his family after the operation.

“We do not release details about the indictee’s health condition without his permission,” Hague Tribunal Spokeswoman Nerma Jelačić told the daily.

The Hague Tribunal has denied that Mladić left the detention unit in Scheveningen in order to have the surgery.

“Reports that Mladić is in the Bronovo Hospital are not true. I can confirm that he has not left the prison complex in Scheveningen,” Jelačić said in a written statement.

On Tuesday the prosecution sent a request to the Hague Tribunal to split the indictment against the former Republic of Srpska (RS) Army commander and hold two separate trials.

One of the reasons for the proposal is “unexpected circumstances in case Mladić’s health deteriorated”.

[America First]

Jean Sibelius - Karelia - Intermezzo I - YouTube

Jean Sibelius - Karelia - Intermezzo I - YouTube

[Serbian]

Thursday 1.09.2011 | 14:56

Mladić's defense opposes split trial

Source: Tanjug

THE HAGUE -- Hague Tribunal indictee Ratko Mladić's defense opposes the prosecution's request to separate the indictment against him, the Hague Tribunal stated Thursday.


The prosecution wants the indictment separated into an indictment for crimes in Srebrenica and the one for the crimes in Sarajevo.

In his response, defense lawyer Branko Lukić assessed the prosecution's request as erroneous, adding that it represented wrong legal standards, violated the right of the defendant to a fair trial, as well as the presumption of innocence.

The Hague Tribunal has proposed that Mladić be tried in two separate proceedings, that is that the indictment be separated to an indictment referring to the crimes in Srebrenica, and an indictment referring to the crimes in Sarajevo and Bosnia-Herzegovina municipalities and taking international hostages, on which the decision should be made by the court council.

Hague Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz said that the reason for such a request was the fact that separation would make the case less voluminous, presentation of evidence would start much sooner and because there was a danger that Mladić's health could worsen.

Two counts of the indictment charge the Bosnian Serbs leader with genocide in Srebrenica and another eight Bosnia-Herzegovina’s municipalities and nine counts charge him with exile, extermination, murder, deportation, terror, attacks on civilians and taking of hostages during the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Mladić was arrested on May 26, 2011, in the village of Lazarevo near northeastern Serbian town of Zrenjanin and he was transferred to Scheveningen on May 31.

In his first court appearance, he delayed entering his plea, and on July 4 he was ejected from the courtroom for disrupting the court, after which a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.

[Serbian]

Saturday 3.09.2011 | 12:50

Mladić’s defense wants names of all Srebrenica victims

Source: Politika

THE HAGUE -- Hague indictee Ratko Mladić’s defense team will request names of all Srebrenica victims from the Hague Tribunal prosecution.

The defense counsels want the prosecution to elaborate on allegations from the indictment that genocide against more than 7,000 Muslims was committed in Srebrenica.

“In our objection to the indictment we will request the names of all victims, who those people were and where they were from because it is a piece of information that is being hidden. We will also request DNA analyses of all exhumed bodies,” defense counsel Branko Lukić told daily Politika.

According to him, the defense team “has information that autopsy reports were tampered with, which a California doctor, who had been working on it, has admitted”.

Lukić added that “the indictment is vague if it does not contain the names of all the victims”.

He pointed out that the defense team had already requested this information in a trial of Bosnian Generals Ljubiša Beara and Vujadin Popović but that the request had never been considered. The same request has been filed in case against Radovan Karadžić and the court is expected to decide on it.

Chicago lawyer Dejan Ivetić, who was one of police General Sreten Lukić’s defense counsel, should soon join Mladić’s defense team.

The Hague Tribunal has in the meantime requested a copy of a 1995 interview with Mladić from Russia Today (RT). The Hague indictee said in the interview that tragic events in Srebrenica had been a response to UN actions in the enclave.

“The interview with Ratko Mladić that the RT aired two weeks ago was new not only to the public but also to this international body that should be best informed about the events that took place during the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina,” RT said in a statement. RT found the interview made 15 years ago in its archive.

RT pointed out that they will cooperate in the investigation. In the interview which had been done on August 13, 1995, Mladić said that an agreement on Srebernica had been signed in April or May 1993 which declared the enclave a safe demilitarized zone where presence of armed forces other than the UN troops was not allowed.

“But instead of disarming the Muslim formations, the UN forces turned those safe zones into a base for terrorists and fundamentalists from which attacks on our villages and towns were launched,” the Bosnian Serb commander said at the time.

He explained that Iran had been sending men to join Bosnian Muslim forces and that the UN peacekeeping troops “sometimes even used helicopters to transport weapons and other equipment from Iran”.

When asked about the mass graves, Mladić said that “only those who died in combat were buried there”.

[Serbian]

Serb war crimes suspect Mladic set for new court appearance

Nov 9, 2011, 11:13 GMT


Belgrade - The Serb general accused of genocide in Bosnia, Ratko Mladic, was due to appear in court Thursday in pre-trial proceedings that have been overshadowed by growing concern over his health.

It will be Mladic's third pre-trial status conference at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague since his arrest in Serbia in May. The conferences are held to determine progress in preparations for the trial.

It will also be his first appearance since the court last month confirmed that Mladic had received medical treatment for an unspecified illness, reportedly pneumonia.

Mladic appeared frail and complained of ill health during former ICTY appearances and his lawyers have raised doubts about his ability to stand trial.

On Tuesday, the Sarajevo daily Dnevni Avaz quoted lawyer Branko Lukic as saying Mladic was too weak to move on his own and had to be wheeled in for a meeting.

Lukic also said a team of Serbian doctors was due to visit the former general next week to examine him and discuss his health problems in his native language.

Concern over Mladic's health has led the prosecution to seek to split the charges against him in the interest of a speedy verdict. They asked the ICTY to give precedence to war crime charges and deal with lesser charges at a later stage.

ICTY, however, turned down that request on October 19.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/ne...urt-appearance