VUJIĆ: SERBIA SEEKS RELEASE OF GENERAL MLADIĆ FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT, WILL COMMUNICATE WITH UN

BEOGRAD, APRIL 20 /SRNA/ – Serbian Justice Minister Nenad Vujić said he had informed officials in The Hague during today's visit that Serbia is seeking the release of General Ratko Mladić for medical treatment on humanitarian grounds, adding that he will also communicate with the United Nations on the matter.

Vujić stated that General Mladić is in a detention hospital and was brought to the meeting in a hospital bed. "At first he was communicative. He asked me to convey his greetings to the Serb people, Serbia, and everyone concerned about him. Later, he lost strength," Vujić said. He stressed that Mladić's condition is serious and requires serious medical treatment. "I informed everyone in The Hague and we are requesting his release for treatment on humanitarian grounds. All conditions for that are in place, and as a state we are ready to provide additional guarantees if needed. I told the President of the Mechanism, Judge Graciela Gatti Santana, that any further detention would constitute a violation of human rights," Vujić said. He noted that the Mechanism was urged to respect rules applied worldwide. "We also raised the issue of Mićo Stanišić, a detainee who has served two-thirds of his sentence, as well as the case of Radovan Karadžić and the fact that his family cannot visit him in the United Kingdom. However, the main issue remains that of General Ratko Mladić. I will communicate with the UN regarding this case. Based on the medical documentation reviewed so far, our doctors have identified evident shortcomings, which I also pointed out to the President of the Mechanism," Vujić said. He confirmed that he supported the proposal of Stanišić's lawyers, who will resubmit a request for his early release. Vujić noted that he had asked the Mechanism to contact the British Government to allow the family to visit Karadžić. General Mladić suffered a stroke on April 10. He had previously experienced multiple strokes and suffers from serious cardiovascular conditions, high blood pressure, neurological damage, and kidney problems, for which he has been repeatedly hospitalized and undergone various medical procedures, including surgeries on his heart and leg. The former commander of the Main Staff of the Republika Srpska Army, General Ratko Mladić, is currently in a detention hospital in The Hague, where he is receiving palliative care due to his serious health condition. He was arrested on May 26, 2011, in the village of Lazarevo near Zrenjanin.