Mladic back in court for trial after health scare

THE HAGUE — Former Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic is back in court for his genocide trial at the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal after recovering from a health scare that saw him rushed to hospital last week.

The 70-year-old former general rose slowly from his chair in the courtroom Monday as judges entered and then polished a pair of reading glasses as his attorney, Branko Lukic, resumed the cross-examination of a witness that was interrupted last Thursday when Mladic complained of feeling ill.

Neither Lukic nor Presiding Judge Alphons Orie has said anything about Mladic’s health.

The tribunal released a statement Friday saying tests conducted at a Hague hospital showed Mladic was fit to stand trial.

He faces 11 charges alleging he masterminded Serb atrocities throughout the Bosnian war. Mladic denies wrongdoing.

The man known as the “Butcher of Bosnia” was arrested in May 2011 after dodging justice for 16 years.

He has complained before of health issues, with his lawyer saying that Mladic has suffered three strokes and a heart attack in the past. — AP