During the proceedings before the Hague Tribunal, 12 defendants charged with war crimes committed in B&H or in the region died in the detention unit of the United Nations in Scheveningen or on provisional release.
The last one to die was Zdravko Tolimir, at the age of 68, while waiting to be transferred to the serving of life sentence for the genocide in Srebrenica.
Current detainees in Hague – among whom are the former commandant of the Army of Republika Srpska Ratko Mladić and the former president of Republika Srpska Radovan Karadžić – usually suffer from cardiovascular diseases, bones issues, and high cholesterol.
According to available information, Mladić suffered two brain strokes so far. Majority of victims expresses the misgiving that they will not be alive when the final verdicts for genocide and crimes committed in B&H are imposed.
Besides Tolimir, Slobodan Milošević also died in the detention unit. Milošević was the former president of Serbia, charged with the genocide and war crimes.
During the trials for crimes committed in the past war or while waiting to be sent to prison, some detainees were entitled to provisional release, where they died. Among them was Drago Nikolić, sentenced to 35 years in prison for the genocide in Srebrenica.
Đorđe Lukić, member of the General Headquarters of VRS charged with the crime in Sarajevo, also died on provisional release.
Nine defendants accused of war crimes in B&H and the region died or were killed before being extradited to the Hague Tribunal, among whom was Željko Ražnatović Arkan.
(Source: klix.ba)
