JURIST - Paper Chase: Mladic war crimes trial to resume next month

[JURIST] The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) [official website] announced [press release] on Friday that the genocide trial for Bosnian Serb Gen. Ratko Mladic will resume on July 9 after being suspended [JURIST report] earlier this month due to evidence disclosure issues. The suspension came after defense lawyers filed a motion claiming that prosecutors had deliberately misrepresented the status of disclosures. The ICTY has asked that the prosecution file a new witness list by June 26 and "only include witnesses least impacted by any disclosure failures." The trial will take place from July 9 to July 20 and then the tribunal will take a three-week recess.

Mladic is charged with counts of genocide and crimes against humanity including murder, political persecution, forcible transfer and deportations, cruel treatment and taking of peacekeepers as hostages committed during the Bosnian Civil War [JURIST news archive]. The trial had previously been postponed indefinitely [JURIST report] in May because of similar issues with prosecutors' misconduct in discovery. ICTY prosecutors had determined earlier that month that Mladic was mentally and physically fit to stand trial after a medical exam was ordered [JURIST reports]. Mladic pleaded not guilty [JURIST report] to all charges against him in April.