UN Tribunal Rejects Ratko Mladić's Medical Release Request

The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in The Hague rejected a request Thursday for the temporary release of Ratko Mladić, the 83-year-old former Bosnian Serb general serving a life sentence for genocide and war crimes. Mladić's lawyers had sought his transfer to Serbia, citing a critical deterioration in his health following a stroke. The tribunal, which handles cases from the former Yugoslavia war crimes court, denied the medical release petition. Mladić was convicted nine years ago of genocide and other war crimes during the 1992-1996 Bosnian War, including his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. He was captured in Serbia in 2011 after 16 years in hiding and has been serving his life sentence at a UN detention facility.