A United Nations war crimes court on Tuesday requested a medical assessment of Ratko Mladic, following a petition by his lawyers seeking his release on humanitarian grounds due to his age and health condition.
Ratko Mladic was sentenced to life in prison in 2017 for orchestrating genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in the Balkan nation’s 1992-95 war.
Mladic is in a "state of advanced, irreversible medical decline,” and should be released, his defense teams said in their request.
The former general had to be taken to the emergency room earlier this month for an unspecified health incident, according to the order.
Judge Graciela Gatti Santana ordered an independent medical assessment to be made by May 1, requesting information on Mladic’s "current health condition” and "the adequacy of his care” at the detention facility where he has been held for 15 years.
