Mladic loses bid to delay trial

Former Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic has failed in his attempt to delay the start of his war crimes trial.

He his application to replace the Dutch presiding judge on the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal was refused.

Mladic’s long-awaited trial on 11 charges including genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes is scheduled to begin tomorrow.

The 70-year-old former general attempted to hold up the case by arguing that judge Alphons Orie is biased because of his Dutch nationality and the fact that he has presided over trials that convicted some of Mladic’s former subordinates.

Tribunal President, Judge Theodor Meron, rejected the appeal, saying he was “not satisfied that Mladic has demonstrated that a reasonable observer, properly informed, would reasonably apprehend bias.”