hiSince immediately after the first instance verdict was announced to Ratko Mladic, dilemmas and questions emerged in the public about possibility of the convict’s death, and possibly finishing the court proceedings in terms of the final verdict, agency Fena contacted the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia – ICTY to get the answer to these questions.
“If Ratko Mladic passes away before the pronouncement of a final verdict, the first instance verdict would become final, “ said Nenad Popovic, from the ICTY press service, to agency Fena.
Asked when the decision on the place of serving a prison sentence will be made, Popovic said that this is done at the end of the trial, which ends with the announcement of a final verdict.
On November 22nd , the Hague tribunal sentenced Ratko Mladic, a former RS Army commander, to life imprisonment in the first instance verdict.
He is guilty of genocide in Srebrenica and the most horrible crimes, the presiding judge of the Council, Alphonso Orie, said during the verdict.
Ratko Mladic, as stated in the verdict, is not guilty of genocide in six municipalities of eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), but is guilty of all other (ten) counts of the indictment: for participation in joint criminal acts, for genocide (in Srebrenica), persecution, extermination, murder, deportation, inhumane acts of displacement, terrorizing, attacks on civilians and hostage taking.
The crimes committed are among the worst known for human beings and include genocide and extermination as crimes against humanity. These are the most horrible crimes, Judge Orie said, adding that the court did not appreciate the “mitigating circumstances” that Mladic’s defense stated: his good character, his poor mental abilities and his age.
The prosecution and defense of Ratko Mladic are also expected to file appeals against the first instance verdict.
(Source: Faktor.ba)
