A screen grab released by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) shows former Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladic sitting in the courtroom in The Hague, May 16, 2012.
Mladic, Accused War Crimes Suspect, Rushed to Hospital
Former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic, on trial for war crimes at The Hague, has been rushed from the courtroom to the hospital.
Officials for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia said Mladic was taken into medical care Thursday as a precautionary measure, after he complained of not feeling well during the proceedings. He is expected to stay in the hospital Friday for a second day of tests.
Since his arrest in Serbia last year, after 16 years on the run, Mladic has complained his health is too poor to stand trial. But observers say the lapse was surprising because he had looked healthy in court earlier this week.
The 70-year-old Mladic has a history of strokes, pneumonia, and kidney stones.
A Bosnian Muslim cries near the coffin of her relative, which was prepared for a mass burial at the Memorial Center in Potocari, near Srebrenica, July 10, 2012.
Mladic is charged with 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, which carry a maximum penalty of life in prison. Charges against the former Bosnian Serb commander include the July 1995 Srebrenica massacre, in which some 8,000 men and boys were killed by troops under Mladic's command.
Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic also suffered ill health during his four-year trial at The Hague. He died of a heart attack in his cell in 2006, before the proceedings were complete.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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