AMSTERDAM – Former Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladic has undergone surgery, the lawyer representing him against war crimes charges has said, while media reports say the former general had undergone a hernia operation.
Lawyer Branko Lukic said yesterday the detention unit of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia told him that Mladic had been scheduled for surgery and that he called his wife after the operation was performed.
“I don’t know much of the details,” Mr Lukic said. “I am informed the surgery went well.”
Mladic, arrested in May and transferred to The Hague on charges of genocide and war crimes over the 1992-95 Bosnian war, has described himself as “gravely ill” and his lawyers have previously raised concerns about his health.
Worried by his health, prosecutors proposed splitting the case against him into two parts this week to speed up the trial and ensure a verdict is handed down.
The tribunal denied media reports and comments from Mr Lukic, however, that Mladic had been admitted to the Bronovo hospital near the court’s detention centre.
The court said Mladic had not left the detention centre, where health facilities were also available.
“The rules specify that any life-threatening situation must immediately be reported to the registrar,” spokeswoman Nerma Jelacic said. “No such reports have been received regarding Mladic.” – (Reuters)