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Day in court

July 4, 2011

Ratko Mladic was dismissed by a UN court trying him for war crimes after the former Bosnian Serb general made a scene. He is charged with planning the worst massacre in Europe since World War II.

https://p.dw.com/p/11oOe
Ratko Mladic escorted by police
Mladic was disruptive in the courtroomImage: dapd

Former Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladic appeared in a Hague court on Monday, where he was supposed to enter a plea against genocide charges stemming from the Bosnian War in the 1990s.

Mladic was disruptive throughout the hearing, actively challenging the authority of Judge Alphons Orie. The judge dismissed Mladic from the courtroom after repeated outbursts and interruptions, during which Mladic took off his headphones and said he would not listen to what the judge was saying.

Judge Alphons Orie entered a plea of "not guilty" on Mladic's behalf.

Mladic in uniform
Mladic was once Europe's most-wanted war crimes fugitiveImage: AP

A Belgrade-based lawyer for Mladic had previously suggested that Mladic would boycott the trial because his legal team was not ready.

Mladic is accused of masterminding the massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995.

The 69-year-old was on the run for 16 years before being arrested and extradited to The Hague in May. He has rejected the war crimes charges against him as "obnoxious."

Author: Sarah Harman (Reuters, dpa)
Editor: Nancy Isenson

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