Serbian justice minister asks Hague-based mechanism to release Mladic

BELGRADE, August 25. /TASS/. Serbian Justice Minister Nenad Vujic has written to Graciela Gatti Santana, president of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, asking her to consider the early release of former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic. "It is no longer a question of whether Ratko Mladic is seriously ill. The Mechanism's medical findings confirm that he has entered the final stage of his life, that the options for further medical treatment are extremely limited and that death may occur at any moment. These circumstances require humanity and respect for inherent human dignity to be paramount," the Serbian Justice Ministry quoted the letter as saying. According to the minister, Serbia has offered to transfer Mladic to the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade for treatment in the presence of his relatives, subject to "any measures that the Mechanism deems necessary." Earlier, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that Mladic was near death and that the Mechanism had refused to release him for treatment. On November 22, 2017, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia sentenced the former Bosnian Serb army commander to life imprisonment for genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war. He had evaded international justice for nearly 16 years before his arrest in Serbia in May 2011 and subsequent extradition to The Hague. In 2025, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals rejected Mladic's defense team's request for early release on health grounds. On April 15 this year, Mladic's son Darko said that his father had suffered a stroke. On April 24, Mladic's defense team submitted a request for his urgent release for treatment in Serbia, citing his extremely serious condition. The Mechanism denied the request on May 14.