Former Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladic is fit enough to be extradited to the United Nations war crimes tribunal, a judge at a special Serbian war crimes court has ruled. The former general is planning to appeal against the decision.

The court’s decision on Friday contradicts a message conveyed by Mladic’s son, that the general is “physically not in a condition to travel and stand trial in The Hague”. Darko Mladic added that his 69-year-old father does not consider himself guilty of the crimes with which he is charged.

An earlier hearing on Thursday in Belgrade by an investigative judge was adjourned because Mladic appeared to be in very bad shape and was not speaking coherently. It was the first time in years that family members had seen Mladic in person.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia accuses Mladic of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in the 1995 massacre of some 7,500 Muslim men and boys from the UN-protected enclave of Srebrenica in eastern Bosnia – the worst single atrocity in Europe since World War II.

The former general is also wanted in connection with the four-year siege of Sarajevo.

(jn/dd)

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