Mladic War Crime Trial Kicks Off Wednesday

Former Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladic in the court room at the UN Yugoslav war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, 04 July 2011. Photo by BGNES

Alleged war criminal Ratko Mladic goes on trial in The Hague on Wednesday charged with masterminding atrocities in Bosnia.

Mladic stands accused of genocide, violations of the laws and customs of war and crimes against humanity during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia. He was arrested in Serbia on May 26 after 16 years spent hiding from the international justice.

"I don't have to tell you how important it is that finally this trial can start 17 years after the first indictment was issued," the court's chief prosecutor, Serge Brammertz, has commented, as cited by The Guardian.

On Monday, the defendant's lawyers filed a petition to delay his trial by six months, contending the prosecution failed to share evidence in a timely manner and that the presiding Dutch judge was biased because of his role in other trials of Serbs.

However, the trial is to be launched as scheduled on Wednesday.

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