DOCTORS FROM SERBIA WILL EXAMINE GENERAL MLADIĆ

BELGRADE, SEPTEMBER 24 /SRNA/ – General Ratko Mladić, whose health condition remains poor, will be examined in early October by a neuropsychiatrist and a cardiologist from Serbia, General Mladić's son, Darko Mladić, told SRNA.

"His condition is unchanged – there's been no improvement or deterioration. He underwent a minor surgical procedure last week, but essentially, there’s nothing new," said Darko Mladić. He added that General Mladić still gets tired quickly and often cannot sustain prolonged communication with his family. "My mother recently visited him. One day, he couldn't even talk with her for an hour, and the next day he managed four hours. It's all on a razor's edge," said Darko Mladić. He emphasized that the family and lawyers continue to fight for the general to be allowed medical treatment in Serbia. "We've been doing everything we can all these years. I hope that's at least partly the reason he's still alive. If we hadn't fought for him, I don't think he'd be with us today. There’s always hope, while we have the will to continue," said Darko Mladić. General Mladić has survived several strokes and suffers from neurological, cardiovascular, and urological problems that are progressively worsening and becoming more complicated. Last year, a pacemaker was implanted in a Dutch hospital, but his health has continued to decline; since then, his kidneys have failed. In July, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals rejected an urgent request by General Ratko Mladić's defence team for temporary or conditional early release due to his poor health condition. In its decision, the court acknowledged that General Mladić's condition is "terminal," but still refused to release him, acting contrary to previous practice in which, in several cases, terminally ill convicts were granted early release.