Tribunal appoints lawyer to Mladić

Belgrade attorney Aleksandar Aleksic will represent General Ratko Mladic before the Hague Tribunal. It was announced earlier that Mladic will appear before judges for the first time at 10:00 on Friday. Tribunal appoints lawyer to Mladic Aleksic, who was appointed by the Hague Tribunal since Mladic still has not decided who is going to be his defense counsel, will only represent the former Bosnian Serb commander at his first appearance before the court when he is expected to enter a plea. Aleksic is currently representing Stojan Zupljanin who is accused of crimes against non-Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1992 when he was a police chief in Banja Luka. He used to represent Yugoslav Army General Nebojsa Pavkovic who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for a crime against Kosovo Albanians in 1999. According to the Hague Tribunal rules, Aleksic will visit Mladic in the Hague Tribunal detention unit in Scheveningen in order to discuss the indictment. Mladic can enter a plea on Friday or decide to do so in a month. Dutch Judge Alphons Orie will tomorrow ask Mladic to confirm his identity and will ask him whether he has read the indictment and whether he understands it. The accused will then be asked whether he wants to enter a plea. Delaying entering a plea is a common practice in the Hague Tribunal bearing in mind that defendants often do not want to enter a plea until they choose their own lawyer. Mladic is accused of genocide and crimes against humanity against non-Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He was arrested by Serbian authorities on May 26 in the village of Lazarevo near Zrenjanin. He was extradited from Belgrade to The Hague on Wednesday. The Hague Tribunal charged Mladic with genocide in Srebrenica in 1995 and was on the run since. The Hague Tribunal detention unit in Scheveningen (Beta)

Tribunal appoints lawyer to Mladić

Aleksić, who was appointed by the Hague Tribunal since Mladić still has not decided who is going to be his defense counsel, will only represent the former Bosnian Serb commander at his first appearance before the court when he is expected to enter a plea.

Aleksić is currently representing Stojan Župljanin who is accused of crimes against non-Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1992 when he was a police chief in Banja Luka.

He used to represent Yugoslav Army General Nebojša Pavković who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for a crime against Kosovo Albanians in 1999.

According to the Hague Tribunal rules, Aleksić will visit Mladić in the Hague Tribunal detention unit in Scheveningen in order to discuss the indictment.

Mladić can enter a plea on Friday or decide to do so in a month.

Dutch Judge Alphons Orie will tomorrow ask Mladić to confirm his identity and will ask him whether he has read the indictment and whether he understands it. The accused will then be asked whether he wants to enter a plea.

Delaying entering a plea is a common practice in the Hague Tribunal bearing in mind that defendants often do not want to enter a plea until they choose their own lawyer.

Mladić is accused of genocide and crimes against humanity against non-Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He was arrested by Serbian authorities on May 26 in the village of Lazarevo near Zrenjanin. He was extradited from Belgrade to The Hague on Wednesday.

The Hague Tribunal charged Mladić with genocide in Srebrenica in 1995 and was on the run since.