Two Serbian doctors - a cardiologist and a neurologist - will examine former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia prison in The Hague on April 22.
This was announced by the prisoner's son, Darko Mladic, adding that his 83-year-old father's health continues to deteriorate.
According to Mladic Jr., his father suffered a stroke on April 10, after which the former general's condition rapidly deteriorated. He describes his father as very weak, slurred speech and unable to get out of bed. Documents obtained from the prison, according to the son, also show his extremely serious health condition.
Darko Mladic will travel to The Hague on Sunday, April 19, but will only be able to see his father on Monday afternoon, as visits are not allowed on weekends. The same day, Serbian Justice Minister Nenad Vuic will visit the former general as a representative of the country's authorities. Doctors will arrive on Tuesday, April 21, but will not be able to examine him until the following day.
The family is also awaiting a response from the International Court of Justice to the request by Russia and Serbia to the UN Security Council for Mladic's release from prison on health grounds.
On December 10, Russia's deputy permanent representative to the UN, Maria Zabolotskaya, requested that the general be transferred to Serbia to serve the remainder of his sentence, or be released early on humanitarian grounds so that he can receive comprehensive palliative care.
Ratko Mladic, who commanded the Army of Republika Srpska during the 1992-1995 Bosnian conflict, was arrested by Serbian authorities in 2011 after 16 years on the run from international justice. In November 2017, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia found him guilty of 10 of 11 charges, including genocide in Srebrenica, and sentenced him to life in prison.
His lawyers and family members have repeatedly argued that the tribunal is not disclosing information about the general's true health condition and that prison doctors are not providing adequate treatment.