The Hague Tribunal rejected the request by the defense of the former commandant of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) Ratko Mladić to exclude judges Alphons Orie and Cristoph Flugge from the trial due to alleged bias.
President of The Hague Tribunal Carmel Agius rejected the request by Mladić’s attorneys to exclude judges Orie and Flugge from the Appellate Council because in previous trials in Hague they already expressed attitudes about Mladić’s guilt.
“After looking at the request, I do not think that Mladić’s defense has presented evidence that would make an informed and reasonable adjudicator to conclude that there is bian present with those judges,” Agius stated.
Mladić’s attorneys also requested appointment of new, “unbiased” judges instead of Orie and Flugge.
“The core of this problem is the fact that judges Orie and Flugge have condemned Mladić beforehand and reached significant conclusions about him. That jeopardizes their ability to be unbiased,” the defense stated in the request.
Ratko Mladić is being tried for the genocide in Srebrenica, persecution of Bosniaks and Croats across BiH, which had the extent of a genocide in several municipalities, terrorizing of the citizens of Sarajevo and keeping members of UNPROFOR as hostages.
(Source: klix.ba/photo: EPA)
