Mladic Trial Suspended

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A judge has suspended the war crimes trial of Bosnian Serb wartime General Ratko Mladic on its second day at The Hague.

Presiding judge Alphons Orie Thursday cited “significant disclosure errors” as the reason for the stoppage. Prosecutors are required to share all evidence with Mladic’s defense team.

The judge says the court is examining the scope and full impact of the error, and hopes to have a new start date soon.

International prosecutors have indicted Mladic on 11 counts, including genocide, that they allege were committed during the early 1990s in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Mladic is also accused of ordering the massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys in the United Nations-protected Srebrenica enclave in July 1995.

Prosecutors say they will use evidence from more than 400 witnesses, though very few of them will testify in court. The first witness is scheduled to appear May 29.

Mladic has refused to enter a plea, but denies any wrongdoing. If convicted, he faces life imprisonment.

On Monday, the first day of the long-awaited trial, prosecutors presented video and transcripts of Mladic’s phone conversations as evidence of his role in killing civilians.

Mladic is considered a hero by many Serbs, especially in Bosnia. He was arrested a year ago in Serbia, after 16 years on the run as one of Europe’s most wanted men. Observers say he could not have been in hiding so long without a support network.

VOA

The VOA is the Voice of America

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