Decision in the Mladić Case is Disregard for International Norms
The decision of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Courts not to release Ratko Mladić, former commander of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS), who was legally sentenced to life imprisonment, on humanitarian grounds, i.e., due to poor health, shows a lack of respect for all international norms that protect the rights of persons serving prison sentences, Goran Petronijević, president of the Center for the Reconstruction of International Law, told "Politika". In this case, he states, it can be concluded that the negative decision was made for political, rather than legal or humanitarian reasons.
TL;DR
- The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Courts denied Ratko Mladić's early release on humanitarian grounds, which is seen as a disregard for international norms protecting prisoners' rights.
- The decision is believed to be politically motivated rather than based on legal or humanitarian reasons, possibly due to international pressure.
- Prisoners have rights, including the right to life and adequate healthcare, which are considered universal human rights.
- Healthcare standards in facilities housing those convicted by the ICTY are often below basic international standards, with a history of prisoner deaths that could have been prevented by adequate treatment.
- There are concerns about the transparency of prisoners' health status, with allegations of authorities concealing problems and providing inadequate or false information to the court, defense, and families.
- A rule requiring visitors to keep health information confidential is considered unacceptable and facilitates the concealment of prisoners' conditions.
- While external doctors have sometimes been allowed to visit and review documentation, they have been denied the ability to conduct direct diagnostic examinations using modern equipment.
- Mladić's family and defense may inform relevant international bodies, including the UN Security Council, about the decision and the fairness of the health care provided.