Ex-Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladic has refused to reappear before a UN war crimes court to plead to charges for his role in the 1992-95 Bosnian war, including genocide, a lawyer said Sunday. "Mladic has told the prison authorities that he does not want to appear in the courtroom (Monday) and will not enter a plea," Milos Saljic told AFP by telephone.
"He decided not to reappear as his defence team has not yet been approved," Saljic said. Mladic, arrested in Serbia and delivered last month to the Hague-based UN war crimes court for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) after almost 16 years on the run, is supposed to be back to the courtroom Monday to plead to charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Mladic was first hauled before the ICTY on June 3, where he chose not to plead to what he called 11 "obnoxious" charges.
The court's regulations then gave him a month before a second appearance where Dutch Judge Alphons Orie will again put the question to him. "Mladic said he could not study the indictment and therefore prepare a plea without his lawers," Saljic said, adding he was one of the attorneys picked up by the defendant. Another in the team would be a Russian lawyer, Saljic said, adding that the defence team has yet to be approved by the ICTY.
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