A United Nations court has ordered an independent medical assessment for Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb military commander known as the 'Butcher of Bosnia', following a request by his lawyers for his release on humanitarian grounds.
Mladic, 84, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2017 for orchestrating genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes during the Bosnian war of 1992-95. His defence team argued that he is in a 'state of advanced, irreversible medical decline' and should be freed.
The order, issued by Judge Graciela Gatti Santana, noted that Mladic had to be taken to the emergency room earlier this month for an unspecified health incident. The assessment, due by May 1, will evaluate his current health condition and the adequacy of his care at the detention facility where he has been held for 15 years.
Mladic was arrested in Serbia in May 2011 after a decade in hiding. He was the last major figure from the Balkan conflicts to face justice. His appeal is being heard by the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, which handles remaining cases from the UN tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.
Judges previously denied a request for early release in 2025, stating that his detention conditions comply with humanitarian principles. They also rejected a request for Mladic to travel to Serbia in November to attend a funeral.
