Ratko Mladic’s lawyer announces ‘fight for justice’ in his client’s case

Peter Dejong / POOL / AFP

Branko Lukic, attorney of the convicted war criminal, Bosnian Serb wartime military leader Ratko Mladic, said that the “fight for justice and truth about Mladic's true role in the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina” will continue and that the process of the review of the verdict will be a long one.

“That is a job taking several years. We have nothing at the moment. Because if we had it now we were supposed to use it for the appeal. We cannot use the evidence that was already used and that we knew about. We have to find something we knew nothing about at the moment when we presented our appeal,” said Lukic explaining the process of the review of the final judgment, which Mladic’s son, Darko Mladic announced a day ago.

The UN tribunal for war crimes in former Yugoslavia confirmed last week the first-instance ruling for Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb wartime military leader, sentencing him to life in prison for the Srebrenica genocide and other war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 1992-95 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Out of five judges in the panel, judge Prisca Matimba Nyambe was the only one to express a dissenting opinion on all indictment counts that Mladic was sentenced for.

Darko Mladic said that the dissenting opinion of the judge will be very useful for the process of the review of the verdict.

But, the lawyer explained the procedure will require a new investigation. Speaking to the Srna news agency, he said the defence team has no time restrictions or a deadline to submit for the review.

As for Mladic’s transfer to a cell where he would serve his life sentence, Lukic said this procedure might take up to 2-3 years.