ICTY: Mladic not terminally ill

Jun 8, 2011, 15:18 GMT

The Hague - There is no indication that the former Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic is terminally ill, despite claims by his lawyer, a spokeswoman for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) said Wednesday.

The spokeswoman, Nerma Jelacic, told reporters that while she was not allowed to discuss details of Mladic's health, the ICTY had not received any notification that he may be gravely ill.

It would have been the ICTY doctor's duty to inform the registrar had Mladic's life been in danger, she explained.

Mladic's defence has insisted since his arrest two weeks ago that he is too ill to stand trial and would not live enough to see the start of the proceedings. It also claimed that Mladic had been treated for Hodgkin's lymphoma, or cancer of the lymph nodes.

A Serbian government medical team however cleared Mladic for extradition and officials denied claims that he was treated for cancer.

In 1995 ICTY prosecutors charged Mladic with genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of laws and practices of war. The atrocities he is blamed for include the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 Muslims.

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