GENERAL MLADIĆ MARKS HIS 84TH BIRTHDAY IN IMPROVED MENTAL CONDITION

BELGRADE, MARCH 11 /SRNA/ - Serbian General Ratko Mladić will mark his 84th birthday tomorrow in The Hague, in the presence of his wife Bosiljka Mladić, and in better mental condition.

It will be an opportunity for them to read together numerous letters and greetings sent to him by family, friends, and unknown supporters.

The general's son, Darko Mladić, told SRNA that his father receives a large number of letters, not only from family members but also from friends, and that letters regularly arrive from people he does not know.

"Family members send him letters from time to time, even though we speak every day, but he likes it when his grandchildren write him letters and greetings. We also sent him some books and photographs for his birthday," Darko Mladić said.

He added that his mother has been with his father since Monday, which makes Ratko Mladić cheerful and in good spirits, but that the visits do not last more than a few hours because he tires quickly, as his physical condition remains unchanged, namely, poor.

Darko Mladić recalled that since May last year, his father, Ratko Mladić, has been receiving palliative care and that in this way he is being physically maintained, but that it does not constitute full medical treatment.

He emphasized that the family and Serbian doctors still have no information or insight into his real health condition.

"For months, we have had no medical results, not even blood tests, but that is something we will request again. It is always the same struggle; they, for some reason, do not give our doctors or me the complete documentation," said Darko Mladić.

He added that the doctors who come as independent experts have access to the complete medical documentation.

"Last autumn, it happened that the day after our doctors had visited, an independent expert came. In his report, he wrote that he had reviewed 40 pages of documentation, while they gave us about two and a half pages. We don’t know why this is happening. What matters is that he is now better in conversation, in good mental condition, and that makes us happy," said Darko Mladić.

Darko Mladić emphasized that Serbian doctors had objections to some of the medications they know Ratko Mladić is receiving, but that there has been no response from The Hague.

He also noted that last summer, a request for the general to be released for medical treatment in Serbia was rejected, and that a request for him to attend the funeral of his sister in November was also ignored. However, the family, Mladić's doctors, and his lawyers are continuing their efforts to secure better and more humane conditions for his treatment and life.

General Ratko Mladić was born in Božanovići, near Kalinovik, on March 12, 1942.

He is marking his 84th birthday in detention in The Hague, where he is serving a life sentence based on a final verdict issued on June 8, 2021.

Mladić was arrested on an ICTY warrant on May 26, 2011, in Lazarevo, near Zrenjanin, and five days later, he was flown to The Hague, where he has remained in detention even after the verdict was issued.