Serbia seeks transfer of jailed general Ratko Mladic to Belgrade hospital on humanitarian grounds

Serbia is pressing for the transfer of former Bosnian Serb Army commander Ratko Mladic, convicted of genocide, from The Hague to a hospital in Belgrade on humanitarian grounds. Justice Minister Nenad Vujic emphasized that Mladic is in the "final stages of life" with "primarily palliative" medical care, according to the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals.

“

Republic of Serbia cannot ignore the fact that, according to the Mechanism's own medical findings, General Ratko Mladic is in the final stages of life.

While welcoming the decision to facilitate family visits, Vujic argued that a visit to a dying family member is not the same as allowing him to spend his final days near his loved ones in Serbia. He clarified that Serbia is not seeking Mladic's release but is ready to arrange a medical transfer to the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade. Serbia also expressed willingness to accept any conditions, including oversight and medical reporting, deemed necessary by the tribunal.

“

visiting a dying family member is not the same as the possibility of spending the last days with significantly greater and more lasting proximity to his closest relatives in a hospital in Serbia.

Vujic pointed to the fact that two out of five judges supported Mladic's conditional release on humanitarian grounds as validation of Serbia's arguments. Mladic was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2017 by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for genocide and crimes against humanity during the 1992-1995 Bosnian War.

“

Serbia did not ask for Mladic to be released home, but expressed readiness to organize medical transfer to the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade.